Q 01/05

Among the world's birds, where does the emu rank in height?

A) Second, after the ostrich

B) First, ahead of the ostrich

C) Fifth, behind the cassowaries

D) Tenth, behind the cranes

Answer · why

A) Second, after the ostrich

Only the two ostrich species stand taller; the emu is the sole living member of its genus, Dromaius.

Q 02/05

How tall can an emu grow?

A) Up to 1.2 m

B) Up to 2.7 m

C) Up to 1.9 m

D) Up to 3 m

Answer · why

C) Up to 1.9 m

That makes it the second-tallest bird in the world; adults weigh anywhere from 18 to 60 kg.

Q 03/05

How fast can an emu sprint?

A) 25 km/h

B) 70 km/h

C) 48 km/h

D) 90 km/h

Answer · why

C) 48 km/h

At full gallop a stride can stretch to 275 cm, thanks to hugely developed leg muscles.

Q 04/05

Which parent incubates emu eggs?

A) The male

B) The female

C) Both in shifts

D) Neither; the sun does

Answer · why

A) The male

He hardly eats or drinks for eight weeks and loses about a third of his weight on the nest.

Q 05/05

Which three insular subspecies of emu became extinct after European settlement?

A) Lord Howe, Norfolk and Fraser Island

B) Rottnest, Bruny and Flinders Island

C) Groote Eylandt, Melville and Bathurst

D) Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King Island

Answer · why

D) Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King Island

The insular dwarf emus were gone by the 1800s; the mainland bird remains common, at 630,000 to 725,000 in 2009.