Emu The pelvic limb muscles of emus contribute a similar proportion of the total body mass as do the flight muscles of flying birds. When walking, the emu takes strides of about , but at full gallop, a stride can be as long as . Its legs are devoid of feathers and underneath its feet are thick, cushioned pads. Like the cassowary, the emu has sharp claws on its toes which are its major defensive attribute, and are used in combat to inflict wounds on opponents by kicking. The toe and claw total in length. The bill is quite small, measuring
Emu in Australia at the time of European settlement, and one additional species is known from fossil remains. The insular dwarf emus, "D. baudinianus" and "D. n. minor", originally present on Kangaroo Island and King Island respectively, both became extinct shortly after the arrival of Europeans. "D. n. diemenensis", a subspecies known as the Tasmanian emu, became extinct around 1865. However, the mainland sub-species, "D. n. novaehollandiae", remains common. The population of these birds varies from decade to decade, largely being dependent on rainfall; in 2009, it was estimated that there were between 630,000 and 725,000 birds. Emus were introduced to