An Aussie mum enjoying a day out on the boat with her family was forced to do a double-take when she spotted an incredible scene on the water.
The family, who were on holiday at the time, were making their way back to the boat ramp on South Australia’s Murray River, with her son in tow on an inflatable tube, when eight mysterious figures began to make their way across the water.
“We came around a bend, and my husband said, ‘What is that up ahead?’ ” Mum Brooklan said. The mum, who was keeping a watchful eye on her son and couldn’t turn around, said her husband could see the tall necks and heads popping out of the water up ahead, but couldn’t make out what they were.
As they got closer, it became clear what the animals were — a mob of emus.
“My husband was like ‘What the heck?’ ” she said. “We were all a little confused, but blown away as we had no idea they could swim.”
Brooklan said her family grew up near the Murray River in the Mallee region, and while they’ve seen kangaroos swim across the river, they’ve “never” seen an emu take a dip.
“We slowed right down to take a good look, and as you can see in the video, my son could barely take his eyes off them,” she said.
“My brother and his family were able to stop and watch them for a little longer because they weren’t towing anyone behind them. They were just as blown away as we were.”
Have you had an incredible wildlife encounter? Contact courtney.greatrex@yahooinc.com
Can emus actually swim?
Emus are Australia’s tallest native bird and can reach up to 1.9 metres in height. They exist in all of Australia’s states and territories except Tasmania.
They are a highly nomadic species and can walk up to 25km a day in search of food, according to Bush Heritage Australia.
While they cannot fly, incredibly, they love to swim.
According to Murray River Trails, it’s not uncommon to see emus crossing the river, using their long, powerful legs to get across the water.
It is not uncommon to see emus swimming across the Murray River. Source: halfcalmhalfchaos
Threats emus face in Australia
Aside from dingoes and wedge-tailed eagles, emus have very few natural predators apart from invasive species. Their main threats are ultimately caused by human activity — habitat loss and fragmentation, along with vehicle collisions.
An Australian 4WD driver was recently praised for hitting the brakes and waiting patiently while an emu and its chicks desperately tried to cross a high-speed road in the outback last week.
Jamie Goff told Yahoo News he was on his way home from work when he rounded a bend and spotted a dark figure in the distance, seemingly standing alone on the empty road near Collie in Western Australia.
“I saw a big black figure standing in the middle of the road, so I started to slow down,” the dad told Yahoo, explaining he had been travelling at 70 kilometres per hour and had to hit the brakes.
After a minute or two, the emus safely made it to the other side of the road, and Jamie was able to continue on his way. He told Yahoo the emus even ran alongside his car for the first 20 metres before he sped off along the road.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
