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Emus are large flightless birds with long necks and legs, but tiny wings. Emus and other ratites, such as cassowaries, have a unique feather design. Each feather is double-shafted and the barbs hang loosely, causing the feather to look similar to hair.
Emus have very strong legs allowing them to defend themselves against predators, such as dingoes, leaping and kicking with lethal strength. When hatched, chicks have longitudinal stripes of black, brown, and cream, easily blending into grass to avoid predation.
They are the second largest bird in the world and the largest in Australia. They will travel hundreds of miles to find food or water. They store large amounts of fat when food is abundant, but may lose up to 50 percent of their weight when searching for food.