The Emu, an Interesting Bird in Australia

by Jun Kuzuya
(Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan)

As you know, there are many animals in Australia. And Australia is one of the most abundant countries of biodiversity in the world. This time, I would like to share about an interesting bird in Australia.

Do you know the bird which cannot fly in Australia? It's called "emu." An emu is the second biggest bird in the world. Their body is covered with bristles. So, do you think that the emu looks like an ostrich? And both birds can't fly.

But the process in which they became unable to fly is quite different between the emu and ostrich. The emu evolved their legs and body too much, so their wings degenerated. The ostrich lived in a place where a natural enemy didn't exist. So, both the emu & ostrich didn't have to fly.

Because of this, both appearances are very similar. But they also have a big difference about the process of evolution. This is very interesting, I think.

The emu is designated as a national bird in Australia. In addition, their oil has been used as a medicine and food since the former inhabitants lived in Australia. (Now it seems that people don't eat emu.) So we find that emu is liked by many Australians.

As I wrote, there are many animals in Australia. And it is also the same all over the world. So I hope that people will conserve this ecosystem. Because it's such a very wonderful and mysterious world we live in!!