Pyxis' Emu Chat Thread

[briefvisit]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_Australia

Careful what you wish for, campers! So much detail that needs to be very carefully checked over!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_Australia

Three species of emus listed here as extinct. And check the photo above against the photos of the Kangaroo and King Island sub-species listed in the Wiki article.

But just thinking out aloud about the engraving pictured above: 'The [birds] were thought to be a male and female of the same subspecies, but are possibly a Kangaroo Island emu and King Island emu[15]'

Is the drawing of a pair? or two birds of separate species? I'd guess a pair (that is, same species)

Why? If you are familiar with breeding-pairs, what you see in the engraving is a representation:

the bird sitting, surrounded by chicks, would be the male. Note that the chicks have no toosh feathers -- so they're young, regardless of how big they seem to be. This suggests that the chicks are newly-hatched.

Next: the female is 'flaring,' as she would do while defending the breeding-territory. (The literature says the females leave after laying; but I have seen two stay the full seven weeks of the incubation.)

And can anyone pick the other tiny detail? Well, there's a tiny bit of 'sideways boogie' in the stance/walk of the bird 'flaring,' which suggests to me that the artist observed the emus in question somewhat. (Note the blue of the skin shown, and that both eyes have a correct shade of orange.)

So, it's a tableau of the species: dominant female with male hatching chicks.

 

[SilksterTN]

Well this is a bummer, I was just doing some reading and learned that there used to be a species of emu, the King Island emu, that was half the size of the regular mainland emus. Little dwarf emus, about three feet tall. But they were driven to extinction in 1805 when people settled the island



There was another smaller emu too, the Kangaroo Island emu, but they too were driven to extinction.

Well as usual I am not getting updates for this thread. BOO
I want a bantam emu. LOL
Any updates on your kids @Pyxis ? I bet they are getting yuuuge!

 

[Pyxis]

Well as usual I am not getting updates for this thread. BOO
I want a bantam emu. LOL
Any updates on your kids @Pyxis ? I bet they are getting yuuuge!

I'll have to snag some new pictures of them! They definitely are getting big, I think they're easily over four feet tall now.

 

[SilksterTN]

I'll have to snag some new pictures of them! They definitely are getting big, I think they're easily over four feet tall now.

YAY! Pics !!!

 

[aart]

I want a bantam emu. LOL

 

[mich9510]

Just had to share pictures of my babies

 

[drumstick diva]

Thanks for the photos mich

 

[Pyxis]

Boy have I had quite the afternoon.

It started with me getting a text that my emu was out. I knew it was probably Ciara immediately. And it was. But anyway.

I rushed over and was really hoping she hadn't gone far, and also I was really, really hoping it was Ciara like I thought because she would be much easier to get back in than Desi.

Luckily, she had not gone far, and as soon as she saw me, she emerged from the woods and simply followed me right back into the pen.

Where a tree had fallen and taken out my fencing and also landed on the emu barn. Actually technically two trees because the first one took out a second one on the way down. Thank goodness I still only had temporary plywood and tarp roofing up because otherwise the roof would have been ruined.

So anyway, I spent a couple hours getting that all fixed. Here's a section of the newly installed seven foot tall fencing.

While I was doing this, two of the neighbor's kids came over. They were entranced by my 'huge' birds and couldn't believe it when I told them they weren't fully grown and would probably be taller than me when they were done growing.

They had a bunch of questions about the emus, which I didn't mind answering, and they weren't getting in the way so it was fine.

However, at one point I was up by the road cutting a section of fencing off a roll while also entertaining two children, so I definitely looked very busy, and this woman I had never seen before walked up.

She said to me, "Oh, you're busy. If I give you $10 will you drive me to the store?"

Seriously. I'm out in the rain, covered in mud, working with fencing, and appear to also be babysitting two children. No, I will not drive you to the store, lady. I asked the kids about her after she left and they said she lived around there but they didn't know her name. Unreal.

Anyway, I am now inside drying out and both emus are safely in their pen.

 

[N F C]

That's the kind of excitement no one needs @Pyxis. Glad Ciara was easy to round up.

"...will you drive me to the store"

 

[ronott1]

That's the kind of excitement no one needs @Pyxis. Glad Ciara was easy to round up.

"...will you drive me to the store"

Once a cow got onto I 80 by Davis, California. They had to send a crew from the Vet Med school to get it.

That is very exciting!