About the Emu

One of the more amusing things about the ranch is some of the non-human inhabitants, like my good friend Elmo the Emu.  Emus are large, flighless birds, native to Australia and can be as much as five feet (1.5 m) tall and weigh up to 120 lbs. (54 kg).  Elmo is fairly tame...I can pat his plumage, but he's more interested in me since I might give him an apple.  

I have learned to keep my tool box latched since he likes to route around in it.  Contractors on the ranch have had their lunch bags stolen from their pickups when the windows are down thanks to Elmo's very long neck and voracious appetite.  He is attracted to bright, shiny things, and in the video below, he starts out by looking at himself in the side-view mirror and eventually taking too much interest in the shiney surface of my iPhone.