Emu’s Feet Length And Weight
Emu’s are the second tallest bird after the ostrich with the height hitting the mark of 6 feet.
Two significant parts of their body that contribute to their height are the leg and neck.
Emu’s leg and neck are pretty long in size with the approximate length of their leg being 1 to 1.3 meters. And the weight of both legs is approximately between 10-20 pounds.
Their foot comprises claws and toes of a length of 15cm (6 inches).
While walking, the emu takes strides of about 100 cm (3.3 ft), but at full gallop, a stride can be as long as 275 cm (9 ft). Its legs are devoid of feathers and underneath its feet are thick cushioned pads.
Now we’ll see how emu’s legs work and its basic anatomy.
Emu’s Leg Anatomy
Emu’s legs begin with the hips, the hip bone acts as a multi-axial, ball-and-socket joint upon which the upper body is balanced during stance and giant.
According to a study, the average maximum hip contact force is about 5.5 times the body weight of the bird.
The hip bone is followed by the pelvic girdle whose function is to provide physical support and attachment for the hind limb. the pelvic is long and has a forward opening facilitating egg laying.
The hip bone and pelvic are connected with the femur, it is the short bone that slopes cranially to ensure that the largest feet of the bird lies under its center of gravity. The main function of the femur is to balance the weight of the bird while walking.
The upper and lower leg is connected to the knee joint. It is one of the largest joints in the body with a fairly complex structure.
It is used for all movements including walking, sprinting, swimming, and jumping.
The lower leg connected with the knee consists of TIbiotarsus, it sounds like a dinosaur but trust me it’s a lower-limb bone of emu.
TIbiotarsus is the largest bone with a length being 43.7±0.3 cm
While the length ratio of femur and tibiotarsus is about 1:1.88.
Tibiotarsus is a bone formed by the fusion of the tibia and some of the tarsal bones.
Tarsometatarsus is the large compound bone of the lower leg that is formed by the fusion of metatarsals with the distal end of the tarsus.
The function of this bone is to transmit forces from the tibia of the heel bone and provide support.
Hock joint plays a crucial role to push off the earth and allow the emu to run at an exceptional speed. The entire hock joint is made up of bones, joints, tendons, and fluid.
Subtalar is another joint made up of articulation between three joint surfaces inferiorly talus with three joint surfaces superiorly calcaneus. It functions as a bridge between foot and ankle transferring loads from foot to tibia or from tibia to foot.
Phalanges are the hinge joint between the phalanges of the toes that provide flexion towards the claws. It helps in the functioning of claws and their movement.
Emu’s Leg Strength and Power
Emus’ legs are really powerful due to their sharp claws whereas the middle one is perfectly eligible for killing their prey as well as humans.
They often attack with their kick to protect their babies and if in case the threat is observed from humans the kick is strong enough to get severe injuries.
Emu’s despite being the largest in Austria is no comparison with the fully grown ostrich which is the largest bird in the world.
The strength of an ostrich’s legs is far more than an emu.
An ostrich exerts a force of about 2000 pounds per square inch while an emu’s kick can produce a force of about 1000-1200psi.
For a better understanding, we humans (an average human) can produce about 400-700psi kick power. And just so you know only 100 psi is enough to puncture a human body.
Emu’s Toes and Claws
The emu, like the cassowary, has sharp claws on its toes, which serve as its primary protective feature and are employed in a battle to inflict injuries by kicking opponents. Together, the toe and claw measure 15 cm (6 inches).
With these extraordinary features emu while walking takes strides of about 3 feet and the intentional gallops can be long up to 6 feet.
The legs of the emu are not covered with features as any other body part, with their toes underneath being padded with thick cushions.
Emu’s foot has three forward-facing toes that help the bird provide the grip on the ground and help drive the bird forward while springing at a top-notch speed.
Among the three toes, the middle one is the most powerful and long.
Using this claw emu can rip the prey apart.
Do Emu’s feet have poison?
Emus are not poisonous. They have been eaten in Australia at a high rate as they taste similar to beef.
Emu farming is quite common in most parts of the world, especially in Australia.
Can Emu kill a human through a kick?
Yes, emu’s are capable enough to kill humans with their powerful kicks followed by claws.
But emu’s are docile and only attack if any threat is observed to their life or their young ones.
Emu’s leg vs Ostrich leg Size and Power
Ostrich is the world’s largest bird carrying a weight of a maximum of 287 pounds and height hitting the mark of 6.5 to 9 feet.
While that of the emu is quite less, both of them have similar body structures but their behavior and habitat are different.
Emus are equipped with three toes while the ostrich is equipped with two toes in such a way that they run up to the speed of 70 km/hr and are exceptionally strong.
Ostrich kick exerts a force of 2000 psi, which can easily blow off the life of anyone’s body just by one kick. While emus can only produce about 1000-1500psi kick force.
If these two majestic creatures ever fought I’m sure the ostrich will be victorious.
| Parameters | Emu | Ostrich |
| Size | 5-7ft and 150 pounds | 6-9ft and 320 pounds |
| Lifespan | 10 – 20 years | 30 – 50 years |
| Habitat | Australia | Africa |
| Kick Force | 1000-1500psi | 2000+-psi |
| Feet | 3 toes | 2 toes |
| Speed | 50 km/hr | 70km/hr |
In conclusion,
And that is all you need to know about Emu’s feet. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and got some helpful information from it.
Thank You For Reading!
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