The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. The emu's range covers most of mainland Australia, but the Tasmanian emu and King Island emu subspecies became extinct after the European settlement of Australia in 1788. The bird is sufficiently common for it to be rated as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs, and can reach up to 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in height. Emus can travel great distances, and when necessary can sprint at 50 km/h (30 mph); they forage for a variety of plants and insects, but have been known to go for weeks without eating. They drink infrequently, but take in copious amounts of water when the opportunity arises.

Breeding takes place in May and June, and fighting among females for a mate is common. Females can mate several times and lay several clutches of eggs in one season. The male does the incubation; during this process he hardly eats or drinks and loses a significant amount of weight. The eggs hatch after around eight weeks, and the young are nurtured by their fathers. They reach full size after around six months, but can remain as a family unit until the next breeding season. The emu is an important cultural icon of Australia, appearing on the coat of arms and various coins. The bird features prominently in Indigenous Australian mythology.

Emu is a puppet emu given to British entertainer Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970. The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests (and Hull himself) for comic effect. Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers' comedy show in the United States.

Revival

Hull's son Toby Hull returned Emu to television on CITV in October 2007. The new persona of Emu vocalises, allowing viewers to understand what the character is thinking. Emu is controlled by an unseen puppeteer, allowing his handler Toby to move around independently. The series is set in a modern apartment block where no pets are allowed, so Emu has to beware of his next door neighbour, Sophie.

Emu's other neighbours are two young cousins, Charlie and Dani, who help Emu outwit Sophie, who wants to use Emu as a quick way to make money. While Toby is oblivious to Sophie's scheming, Charlie, Dani, and Emu know her true colours. Toby also has to keep Emu a secret from Ken Cole, a grumpy security guard.

Emu was a 220-ton merchant ship and convict ship that transported convicts to Australia. She was captured by an American privateer in 1812.

Career

Governor Lachlan Macquarie requested on 30 April 1810 that the British Government supply the colony with two brigs (colonial ships) that would not be subject to the control of the Admiralty. The British government provided Emu and Kangaroo.

Lieutenant Alexander Bisset received a letter of marque for Emu on 21 September 1812.Emu left England in October 1812 with 49 female convicts.

While she was en route to Hobart Town, the American 18-gun privateer Holkar, Captain J. Rolland, captured her on 30 November 1812 in the Atlantic. Her captors put 22 crew and the 49 female convicts ashore on 17 January 1813 at Porto Grande on the island of St Vincent (now São Vicente) in the Cape Verde Islands. A prize crew took Emu to Newport, Rhode Island where she was sold.

After 12 months Isabella picked up Emu's captain, crew, and convicts and returned them to England. The convicts were placed on a hulk in Portsmouth harbour and subsequently sent aboard the transport Broxbornebury to Port Jackson.

Tuna is a Chihuahua Dachshund crossbreed dog, best known as an internet celebrity, and an internet meme. He was abandoned by his original owner near San Diego, and was adopted at a farmer's market in Los Angeles by Courtney Dasher. After she created an Instagram page for him, a photo of him was featured on the company's website resulting in an increase in followers. Dasher has used Tuna's celebrity status to raise money for animal rescue groups as well as promoting the cause generally. A book of photographs of Tuna was released in 2015, entitled Tuna Melts My Heart: The Underdog With The Overbite.

Early life

Tuna was found on a roadside near San Diego, California, having been abandoned by his original owner. He suffered emotional trauma from this abandonment, leading him to the habit of crawling on his belly; because of this, his rescuer called him "Wormy".

Tuna was taken to a farmer's market in Los Angeles by the rescue centre at the age of around four months, where Courtney Dasher saw him and adopted him. She decided to change his name from "Wormy" to "Mr. Burns" because of his resemblance to the character in The Simpsons. She had initially only intended to foster the dog, but after a week decided that she would keep him. Over time, he was called "Tooney" affectionately which eventually become "Tuna".

Tuna (IPA: [tuˈna]) is a unisex Turkish given name and surname. It means Danube in Turkish.

Given name

Surname

See also

A tuna is a group of university students in traditional university dress who play traditional instruments and sing serenades. The tradition originated in Spain and Portugal in the 13th century as a means of students to earn money or food. Nowadays students don't belong to a "tuna" for money nor food, but seeking to keep a tradition alive, for fun, to travel a lot and to meet new people from other universities. A member of a tuna is a "tunante", but is usually known simply as a "tuno". "Sopista" was the name given in the earlier times of the "tunas" but is still accepted as well.

History

The name TUNA may come from French roi de Thunes, "king of Tunis", a title used by leaders of vagabonds. But there is also a legend of a real King of Tunis, known for his love to music and party that usually liked to walk around the streets at night playing and singing. That explains why the term roi de Thunes was applied.

In the old times (medieval days) the Sopistas would use their musical talents to entertain people in exchange for a coin and a bowl of soup (sopa, in Portuguese and Spanish, hence the name sopistas). They would also play their music under the windows of the ladies they wished to court.