By Rula Eskaf
When someone thinks of deadly animals in Australia, they probably think snakes, spiders, and jellyfish, but sometimes death comes in the shape of a goofy, tall, flightless bird: the emu.
The emu may not seem like a threat, but make no mistake, many have taken on this bird and lost (the Australian government went to war with the emus armed with vehicle-mounted machine guns, and was forced to retreat).
Standing anywhere from five to six feet tall, the emu is the second largest bird with relatively small wings, accounting for its inability to fly. Though just because it can’t fly, doesn’t mean it can’t move as swiftly as the wind. An emu can sprint up to 30 mph, with a stride almost nine feet long.
What makes these flightless birds so dangerous is at the end of their long legs, three large and forward facing toes with large claws at the end of each. The emu’s powerful kick is their primary defense that they use to ward off natural predators like dingoes. When attacked, the emu will use its powerful legs to launch itself up to seven feet in the air, then trample its attacker.
Fun fact: Emus are the only birds with calf muscles.
If you try to picture any number of odd-looking animals, there is a good chance the duck-billed platypus might come to mind. The small, aquatic mammal is one of nature’s strangest specimens with what looks like the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and the feet of an otter. When the platypus was first discovered, scientists thought the animal was part of an elaborate hoax.
The platypus is carnivorous, submerging itself for up to two minutes to find insects, shellfish, and worms at the bottom of fresh water sources like ponds or rivers. Its body has evolved for efficient water hunting: the nostrils on the snout seal to keep water out, as well as the ears and eyes, effectively rendering the platypus blind when they hunt, but a unique system of electroreceptors allows the platypus to navigate the water with ease.
So, what makes this two-foot long animal so dangerous? Male platypi have sharp spurs on the inner side of each ankle that can deliver venom stored over the thighs of the animal. The venom is deadly to animals but is non-lethal to humans, though it can cause extreme pain, sometimes resulting in hyperalgesia.
Fun fact: The duck-billed platypus is one of two mammals that lays eggs. The other is the echidna, a distant cousin of the anteater.
Image Sources:
(1) Image credit: Benjamint444
(2) Image credit: Jana Raue
(3) Image credit: AMNH/R. Mickens
(4) Image credit: Susan Flashman
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