(C) BoingBoing
This story was originally published by BoingBoing and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Ostrich or emu? You make the call! [1]

['Jason Weisberger']

Date: 2025-05-07

Pennsylvania newscasters debate whether the big bird caught on a Pennsylvania highway is an ostrich or an emu.

ChattyG offers the following criteria for judging:

Main differences between ostrich and emu: 1. Size: • Ostrich: Taller (up to 9 ft), heavier (up to 320 lbs). • Emu: Shorter (up to 6.2 ft), lighter (up to 130 lbs). 2. Neck and legs: • Ostrich: Long, bare neck and legs; two toes. • Emu: Shorter, feathered neck; three toes. 3. Coloration: • Ostrich: Males have black-and-white plumage; females are brownish-gray. • Emu: Both sexes are uniformly gray-brown. 4. Speed: • Ostrich: Up to 45 mph. • Emu: Up to 30 mph. 5. Location: • Ostrich: Native to Africa. • Emu: Native to Australia. From video footage: • If the bird is very tall with a bare neck and two toes: ostrich. • If the bird has a shaggy, brown-gray appearance with a shorter neck and three toes: emu.

What do you think? Emu or ostrich?

Previously:

• Paul Manafort's $15000 ostrich jacket

• How to survive an ostrich attack

• Ostrich halts traffic on South Dakota highway

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/05/07/ostrich-or-emu-you-make-the-call.html

Published and (C) by BoingBoing
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/boingboing/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.