Wednesday, August 26

on to Australia

Dromaius novahollandiae

What the heck is that, you ask. You are looking at the tridactyl foot of an adult emu!
Emus are the largest birds native to Australia, and are ratites like the rhea. This tridactyl arrangement means the creature has only 3 toes, unlike most other birds which have 4. Since they have no need of a perching foot, the lack of the fourth toe makes running more efficient. These big birds are able to maintain a 30 mph pace for long distances. Looks suspiciously like one of the velociraptor's feet, don't you think?


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