Hiya, I love Emus and Rheas would anyone be able to tell me the differences between species and a little bit about caring for them please. Also how much room do they need to be kept in.
Thanks
Thanks
Emu and Rhea advice
- Thread starter mrslb333
- Start date
- Jun 8, 2010
- 155
- 7
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Let's do it this way, 333:
on one 'level' there are all the flightless birds in the world, including penguins and emus.
On the next level down, these flightless birds are divided into ratites and . . . non-ratites. Penguins and emus are both flightless birds, but an emu is a ratite, and a penguin is not. (A ratite is characterised by lacking a sternum.)
On the next level down are the different species of ratite. The ostrich is a ratite species that wound up on one continent, Africa. (Look up 'gondwanan.') Other ratites wound up on other continents or islands: Australia (emu), America (rhea), Madagascar (aepyomis), New Zealand (kiwi).
They ranged in size from the small kiwi of New Zealand to the (extinct) aepyomis of Madagascar, which stood over eight feet tall.
On the last level, you will find the sub-species, like the rothschildi emus here at my place here in the south of Western Australia, or the woodwardi, which are found in the north of this state.
But hey, Google 'rhea and ostrich' and you can read all this on Wikipedia.
Supreme Emu
P.s.: there is a BYC Forum member who breeds cassowaries, which are another species of ratite; and you'll find on this site outstanding pictures of cassowaries and emus and rheas.
on one 'level' there are all the flightless birds in the world, including penguins and emus.
On the next level down, these flightless birds are divided into ratites and . . . non-ratites. Penguins and emus are both flightless birds, but an emu is a ratite, and a penguin is not. (A ratite is characterised by lacking a sternum.)
On the next level down are the different species of ratite. The ostrich is a ratite species that wound up on one continent, Africa. (Look up 'gondwanan.') Other ratites wound up on other continents or islands: Australia (emu), America (rhea), Madagascar (aepyomis), New Zealand (kiwi).
They ranged in size from the small kiwi of New Zealand to the (extinct) aepyomis of Madagascar, which stood over eight feet tall.
On the last level, you will find the sub-species, like the rothschildi emus here at my place here in the south of Western Australia, or the woodwardi, which are found in the north of this state.
But hey, Google 'rhea and ostrich' and you can read all this on Wikipedia.
Supreme Emu
P.s.: there is a BYC Forum member who breeds cassowaries, which are another species of ratite; and you'll find on this site outstanding pictures of cassowaries and emus and rheas.
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