Emu struggles to protect his chicks | Australia Remastered: Desert

This emu tries to protect his clutch of eggs, but a hungry perentie puts his offspring at risk. #AustraliaRemastered
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Life in Australia is a battle. Shaped by the challenges of epic environments the creatures of the island continent compete for mating rights, to eat, and avoid being eaten.

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Emus are one of the few creatures on earth where it’s entirely up to the male to raise the young. After the eggs are laid, the female leaves. For eight weeks dad must incubate the clutch solo. Weighing half a kilogram each, the eggs are a favoured meal of the desert’s largest reptile, the perentie. The male must always be on guard. The only time he moves is to turn the eggs, which coats each embryo in the protein-filled egg white that encases it. To the perentie, the whole clutch is a meal is worth fighting for. But for the male emu, safeguarding his young is paramount. He senses danger.
His instinct is to protect his clutch. But the perentie has venom-laced jaws that could deliver a painful bite. Panicked, the father abandons the nest.
The perentie claims its prize. Hours later, the emu father returns.
Devastation. But all hope is not lost. Emus will mate with several partners in a season. And the male has another chance at bringing young into the world. For the next 18 months, his offspring won’t leave his side. He’ll teach them to forage... And where to find water. The time they spend with their father is precious... As they must learn skills vital to all of the arid zones’ inhabitants.