The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is a species of ratite endemic to savannahs and sclerophyll forests of Australia. It is the third tallest living bird after both species of ostriches, measuring 150 to 190 centimeters in height. It is also a great traveller, sprinting at 48 km/h. Like the cassowary, the emu has sharp claws on its toes, used as defense against predators. Omnivorous, it swallow small stones to grind up plant materials, much like the sauropods of the Mesozoic. The emu is a powerful bird, and its legs are among the strongest of animals, powerful enough to tear down metal fencing.
The Emu War was a nuisance wildlife management military operation taken in Western Australia in late 1932. As a result of a dry spell, emus flocked to a rural locality, devastating crops and damaging rabbit fencing. An attempt to drive them off resulted in the army being called, even using machine guns to dispatch them; however, the emus largely avoided the hunters.
Nevertheless, the emu is an important cultural icon of Australia, and is featured predominantly in Indigenous Australian mythologies.
History[]
- "Our fertilization department is where the dinosaur DNA takes the place of the DNA in unfertilized emu or ostrich eggs, and then it's on to the nursery, where we welcome the dinosaurs back into the world!"
- —Mr. DNA([[|src]])
Unfertilized emu and ostrich eggs were used by Jurassic Park's fertilization department to put there dinosaurs' DNA in place of the eggs' before taking them to the nursery to hatch the dinosaurs.
Behind the Scenes[]
In the script of John Sayles' Jurassic Park IV, a group of emus resided in John Hammond's aviary. One of them faces him and Nick in a threat posture.[1]
