Emus are so huge, strange and imposing that most people just stare at their intense face and enormous body! However, emu feet are just as incredible!! They don't even look real, do they?! Like their faces, one look at their feet will have you thinking DINOSAUR!! Did you know that all birds have scales on their legs and feet just like reptiles?! Emus have really big scales and they have three massive toes on each foot! Look at that enormous claw on their middle toe!! It's not hard to imagine the Velociraptor in this ancient bird's ancestry! In fact, the structure of dinosaur leg bones and joints are identical to emus and other ratites!

Ratite toe counts: emus, rheas and cassowaries have 3 toes, kiwis have 4 toes, and ostriches have only 2!

Emus are capable of running up to 30-31 (50kph) mles per hour and run at a comfortable speed of about 28 (45kph) miles per hour. They use their feet for defense and have extremely strong legs, able to rip wire fencing! The claws on their feet are used for combat and can inflict serious damage if they feel threatened or are protecting their territory. However, emus are almost always very docile and curious, but not dangerous.