Knuckle Bump Farms in Florida has two young Emus who look like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie, or wandered in out of a Dr. Seuss book.
Instead of the usual fluffy brownish-grey feathers, which make Emus so recognizable, these chicks hatched and grew up with merely blue and pink skin, completely bald, utterly alien, and absolutely adorable. Check out this video for a view of one of the siblings, now that they’ve grown up a bit:
@knucklebumpfarms Lots of you have been asking for an update on our bald emus, well, they’re are much taller and still very bald 😅 #baldemu
According to Knuckle Bump (who rescued the chicks from a breeder back in February), this might be the first documented case of featherless Emus ever hatched. But before anyone crowns them the new bird anomaly champions, it’s important to note that this claim hasn’t been verified, bird enthusiasts online are skeptical, and not even bird experts that Knuckle Bump has consulted with can quite figure out what’s going on with these two Emus.
Related: One-of-a-Kind Baby Emus Born Without Feathers Baffle Rescuers and Fans
The Emus were born to two perfectly normal parents, fully feathered and healthy, who had hatched typical chicks for two years prior. No experimental breeding or lab mishaps here. Just nature pulling a wild card.
Emus are Australia’s giant birds, second in size only to the ostrich. They can stand up to 6 feet tall and weigh as much as 100 lbs. The birds are flightless with small wings, but very strong, long legs which allow them to run up to 30 mph. They’re typically covered in feathers which help regulate their body temperature.
Despite their bizarre appearance and feather free look, the Emus are healthy and eating and behaving just like typical Emus. Still, their fascinating appearance has sparked an onslaught of disbelief (must be AI!), fascination and endless questions.
Are these siblings a genetic fluke, or the beginning of a strange new Emu evolution? The mystery remains, and this duo continues to turn heads, inspire wonder and challenge everything we thought we knew about Emus!