Emus are a truly egg-ceptional dads. In the wild, male emus take on full parenting duties, even before their chick’s hatch.

After a five-month fling, female Emu’s will lay their eggs and then strut into the sunset, leaving the male Emu to do the heavy lifting.

This is no small task as Emu eggs are massive, each one being the size of 12 chicken eggs.

A female can lay 10 to 15 eggs in a clutch that’s the same size of 180 chicken eggs!

When the female departs, the male enters full dad-mode, incubating the eggs for eight weeks.

While the Emu dad egg-sits he will not eat, drink or even ruffle a single feather to go to the toilet!

Never leaving the nest, the male survives solely on stored body fat losing up to eight kilos in the process.

As the eggs go from pale green to dark green it’s a sign they are ready to hatch!

Once the outback offspring are born, their egg-strodinary dad will take them under his wing for the first six months.

Wandering the bush, the mini mob follow him, learning everything they need to know to survive.  

Emus can’t walk backwards so it’s always a forward march, following their dad in a straight line.

Despite being flightless, Emu’s are fast runners.

With their three-toed feet they can sprint up to 50 km/h, that’s 5 km/h faster than Usain Bolt!

Gentle to their chicks yet fiercely protective, Emu dads will defend their young from danger with booming drum-like calls that can be heard up to 2 kilometres away.

With their unwavering dedication and egg-straordinary parenting style, Emus truly are one of Australia’s most admirable feathered fathers.

To celebrate all the emu-zing dads, fathers enter for free this Father’s Day, Sunday, 07 September. 

Come say thank you to the dads who go the extra mile!