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Ethan Freeman

 Neha Mittal

Bio 1110 Lab

29 March 2016

Animal Behavior: Emu at Lazy 5 Ranch

The emu is an avian creature, closely related to the ostrich, and a distant, yet

enetically similar, cousin to the dinosaurs! "t is the second larest bird on the #lanet, and

can be $uite intimidatin, %ith some adults standin over & 'eet tall(Emu'acts!com,

2016)! These birds can s#rint u# to *1 miles #er hour, sini'icantly 'aster than +lym#ic

old Medalist -sain Bolt, %ho to#s out at 2.! They can live as lon as *0 years, but this

is uncommon, and the averae li'es#an is bet%een 10 and 20! Ty#ically, They are only

'ound naturally in /ustralia, and #re'er hot, dry climates! Females, called hens, can lay

20&0 es in a matin season, and can bein layin es as early as 16 months old!

Emus consume only 'ruits and seeds, but they have been no%n to eat insects and even

small re#tiles(ybilsden!com, 2016)!

The environment durin observation %as %arm, dry, and 'ull o' motorists rollin

alon very slo%ly! The emu seemed to be used to bein around a hih number o' slo%

movin cars! There %ere a lot o' trees around, but there %ere also o#en areas %ith

nothin but dirt, and some rass! There %ere areas o' shade, #rovided by the trees, but it

%as a rather sunny day! The sy had 'e% clouds, and it %as about 3#m, so it %as still

 #retty hot, bein auust in N4! The reion has rather erratic %eather #atterns, %ith

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'luctuations o' u# to *0 derees in a day, but emus are used to desertlie 'luctuations,

%hich can be much reater!

The emu didn5t really interact %ith any o' the other animals! "nstead, it %ent 'rom

car to car, havin been conditioned to o u# to car %indo%s to et 'ood! e sim#ly stuc

his head in the %indo%s, #eced violently at the bucet o' 'ood, and %ent about his

 business! e then re#eated this %ith each subse$uent car, never %orryin, never rushin,

only %alin around, eatin 'ood out o' bucets %hile #eo#le too #ictures, e dis#layed

a very care'ree attitude, almost lie a housecat, no%in that nothin %as really e7#ected

o' him, and that he %ould be 'ed and be oay!

" thin the emu " observed acted the %ay it %as conditioned to act! "t oes u# to

 #assin cars 'or 'ood, it doesn5t attac, and it ets to continue livin li'e leisurely, never

havin to %orry about 'ood or #redation! The 'emale emus %ere a bit larer, but there

%ere no other a##arent se7ual dimor#hisms! "t is very #ossible that the nice %eather and

moderate tem#erature encouraed the emu to be more social, as it %ould have been less

liely to interact under inclement %eather conditions, 'avorin shelter! "t is im#ortant to

note that the animal " observed never really demonstrated any %ild behaviors, such as

loud or aressive dis#lays, larely due to the 'act that it %as com'ortable, and not at all

distressed! The behaviors %ere most certainly learned! The emu %as 'ar too calm around

 #eo#le and other, larer animals to have been iven no conditionin!

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8ors 4ited

" EMU CARE SHEET." Emu Care Sheet. Accessed March 29, 2016.

http://.s!#$sde%.c&m/caresheet/emus.htm.

"The Emu '#rd ( )r&m Austra$#a% *utac+ t& Amer#ca% Ra%ches." The Emu '#rd,

r&m Austra$#a% *utac+ t& Amer#ca% Ra%ches. Accessed March 29, 2016.

http://.emuacts.c&m/the(emu(#rd.shtm.

http://www.sybilsden.com/caresheet/emus.htmhttp://www.emufacts.com/the-emu-bird.shtmhttp://www.emufacts.com/the-emu-bird.shtmhttp://www.sybilsden.com/caresheet/emus.htm