On the Australian coat of arms the Emu and the Kangaroo were selected as symbols of Australia to represent the country progress because they are always moving forward and never move backwards.
The Emu is a large flightless bird.They stand to be 1.5 to 2 metres tall, and on average weight 36 kg.They have 3 toes, and long legs which allows them to run extremely fast.In this species, the female is larger than the male.
The Emu feed on grass, leaves and small insects.They live all over Australia in grasslands.
The female lays up to 20 eggs, which are large and are soft dark green in colour.These eggs are often prized not only by humans for decoration pieces, but by animals as a food source.The male hatches the eggs for a period of 7-8 weeks, and does not leave the nest for this period.When the eggs hatch, the male emu looks after the hatchlings for another six months.
The Emu is the world's third largest bird.The Ostrich and the Cassowary take the top positions.The nest of an Emu can be up to 1.5 metres wide!
Kangaroos are the largest marsupial(有袋)mammals.Kangaroo moves by hopping on its hind legs using its tail for steering and balancing while hopping at speed up to 60kmh.When kangaroo is moving slowly the tail is used as an extra leg and supports the kangaroo when it is standing on its hind legs.Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together and not one at a time.
Kangaroos are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.They eat grass, young shoots and leaves.Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all.
A male kangaroo is called a buck.It is also commonly called a "boomer" or an "old man".A female kangaroo is called a doe, or a flyer.A baby kangaroo is called a joey.
Kangaroos have good eyesight but only respond to moving objects.They have excellent hearing and can turn their large ears in all directions to pick up sounds.
Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or "mobs" of at least two or three individuals and up to 100 kangaroos.
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The Emu and the kangaroo are chosen as symbols of Australia because ________.