| Kangaroo Island Emu | |
|---|---|
| Illustration by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, based on life-drawings made during Baudin's journey and specimens kept at Jardin des Plantes. The animals were thought to be a male and female of the same species, but are now believed to be a Kangaroo Island Emu and King Island Emu[1] | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Superorder: | Paleognathae |
| Order: | Struthioniformes |
| Family: | Casuariidae |
| Genus: | Dromaius |
| Species: | †D. baudinianus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dromaius baudinianus Parker, 1984[3] |
|
| Geographic distribution of emu taxa and historic shoreline reconstructions around Tasmania, D. baudinianus in red | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Casuarius diemenianus Jennings,1827 |
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Kangaroo Island Emu or Dwarf Emu[3] (Dromaius baudinianus) is an extinct member of the bird family Casuariidae. It was restricted to Kangaroo Island, South Australia, which was known as Ile Decrés by the members of the Baudin expedition. It differed from the mainland Emu mainly in its smaller size. The species became extinct in approximately 1827.[4]
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It was discovered in 1802 by Matthew Flinders and reported to be quite common around Nepean Bay. The first bones of the species were discovered in 1903 at The Brecknells, sandhills on the west side of Cape Gantheaume. Initially there was confusion regarding the taxonomic status and geographic origin of the Kangaroo Island Emu, particularly with respect to their relationship to King Island Emu, which were also transported to France as part of the same expedition. The expeditions logbooks failed to clearly state where and when dwarf emu individuals were collected. This led to both taxa being interpreted as a single taxon and that it originated from Kangaroo Island. More recent finds of sub-fossil material and subsequent studies on King and Kangaroo Island Emu confirm their separate geographic origin and distinct morphology.[5] Due to this confusion, it only received its current scientific name in 1984, after a thorough revision of the extinct emus by Shane A. Parker. He based it on a sub-fossil specimen from Kangaroo Island, South Australia.[3][6] Specimen SAM B689Ib, a left tarsometatarsus, is the holotype.[7]
The species is known only from historical observer accounts and from bones, including sets deposited at the South Australian Museum. A mounted skin at the Natural History Museum of Geneva in Switzerland is sometimes identified as that of a Kangaroo Island Emu, but may instead be a young mainland Emu.
It is believed that this emu lived in the interior forest.[8]
The species' extinction has been attributed to hunting and habitat clearance through burning.[9]
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