The male stays with the chicks, though they lead him rather than the reverse. Lost chicks from other broods are allowed to join another male's group, provided that they are smaller than his own offspring. At 2-3 years of age, the young are fully mature and capable of reproduction. In captivity, emu females were able to be left in the same enclosure as the male when he was tending the young, which may suggest some sort of family relationship. It is a good, strong swimmer.
Females make characteristic resonant, booming sounds.
They must have daily access to fresh water. Its rich diet enables an emu to grow fast and reproduce rapidly. But because such foods are not always available in the same place throughout the year, emus must move to remain in contact with their foods. In arid Australia, the exhaustion of a food supply in one place often means moving hundreds of kilometers to find another source of food. The emu shows two adaptations to this way of life.