Dennis Young, age 10, of Pocatello, Idaho, for his question:

CAN AN EMU FLY?

Australia's largest bird is the emu. It stands about five and a half feet high and weighs about 100 pounds. The only taller and heavier bird still living today is the ostrich.

The emu cannot fly. It has small wings but they cannot lift the giant bird into the air. But because of long, sturdy legs, the bird can run up to 30 miles an hour.

The emu has brownish black, thick feathers. Two feathers grow from each opening in the skin.

The female emu lays between eight and 10 green, rough surfaced eggs in a flat nest of grass and leaves. The male then sits on the eggs until they hatch.

Baby emus are striped but they lose these markings as they grow older.

Emus feed on fruit and green plants. They are considered pests because they eat crops and break down sheep fences.