The post This Baby Emu Zooming Across the Yard Will Instantly Boost Your Mood appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Is daily life feeling a bit overwhelming? Well, this video of an adorable emu baby from club_wildlife_media is just what you need. Watching this energetic emu joyfully rolling in the grass and racing around the yard is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. This baby bird may look like it’s running to catch a bus, but it just has a case of the zoomies. Read on to learn more about baby emus and find out what gives them this need for speed.
All About Emus
Wild emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) can only be found in Australia. They live throughout the continent but prefer savanna woodlands and dry forests. Emus are the second-tallest birds in the world, after ostriches. Adult emus can reach heights of over 6 feet. They generally weigh between 80-120 pounds, with females being larger.
Emus are nomadic and move according to changes in climate conditions. They have been recorded traveling 10–15 miles per day, covering hundreds of miles in search of food and water. During the breeding season, the female lays an average of 10 eggs in a clutch, which the male incubates. The eggs hatch in 48-56 days. Males aggressively defend the nest once the chicks have hatched, driving the females away from the area.
Emu Chicks
Newly hatched emu chicks are about 10 inches tall and weigh around 15.5-17.6 ounces. The chicks are precocial, meaning they are relatively developed when they hatch. Baby emus can walk after just a few minutes and leave the nest to feed themselves at around three days old. The male emu stays with the new chicks for at least 5-7 months, although some sources suggest it may be as long as two years. Young emus grow quickly, reaching their adult height at around one year old. Emus are fully mature between 18-24 months.
Emu chicks are cream-colored with dark brown horizontal stripes. This helps camouflage the chicks in the long grasses and woodlands. At around three months old, young emus begin to lose their stripes. By the time they reach about six months old, the downy feathers have been replaced by shaggy, dark brown feathers. These feathers fade to a grayish brown color by the time they are two years old. The chick in the video above has pronounced stripes, indicating the bird is less than three months of age.
Newly hatched emu chicks are about 10 inches tall.
©Hazel Plater/Shutterstock.com
Zoomies Burn Off Emu Energy
The scientific term for zoomies is frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs). Dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and horses can get the zoomies. Even wild animals such as otters, wombats, tigers, giraffes, and elephants experience these sudden bursts of energy. Experts from Cornell University explain that zoomies are a normal way for animals to show excitement, release pent-up energy, and alleviate stress.
Zoomies are more common in young, high-energy animals. As a fast-growing bird with a body evolved for walking long distances, a young emu in captivity has energy to spare. Researchers have found that emus spend most of their time in motion, even in captivity. They may not be able to fly, but even young emus have powerful, muscular legs. Emus are the only birds with calf muscles. Researchers also found that emus have long tendons in their legs that act like rubber bands, storing energy when stretched and releasing it as the bird moves. These adaptations allow emus to run at speeds up to 31mph and jump as high as 7 feet straight in the air.
Playful Behavior in Captive Emus
In the video, the caretaker is also whistling. Young emus make a whistling sound, and male emus whistle back to their chicks. If this bird were hand-raised, it may have been responding to its caretaker’s whistle in the same way pets respond to their owners’ verbal signals.
Captive birds raised by humans have been observed to be playful and curious. Some accounts of their behavior note that emus will bite or peck other animals and run away just to get a response. With a body built for movement and a playful relationship with its caretakers, it’s no wonder this energetic young emu needed to burn off some energy.
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