The Kangaroo and the Emu hold the shield in the Australian coat of arms. Why?

starry

They are animals that only live in Australia. Jan 16 03, 2:17 PM

sequoianoir

I wonder if all the kangaroos and emus all over the world realise that they are still actually living in Australia. Is it part of some master plan where Australia actually owns and rules the world? Jan 16 03, 2:30 PM

Andy	Actually, these two animals are on Australia's coat of arms because they cannot walk backwards. Jan 16 03, 10:22 PM

Byrd	I believe what starry was trying to say is that emus and kangaroos are both native Australian fauna. Have you ever actually found that being a nit picking meanie has helped you in life at all? Jan 16 03, 11:25 PM

Baloo55th

Picking nits is fun. Actually, they hold the shield 'cos it would fall down if they let go. Jan 18 03, 9:15 PM

Kainantu

My suggestion to a government official who wrote an article on the coat of arms for the Australian Government: The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures--the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu's three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail. His reply by email: This may be biologically true but I doubt if this is why they were chosen... my bet is it is because they are large, conspicuous and distinctive elements of the Australian fauna and that they are of comparable size so would not look incongrouous as a pair of supporters... jim Feb 01 03, 12:47 AM