Kangaroo Island Emu, Dromaius baudinianus

Remains of this emu have only been found on Kangaroo Island, where the species became extinct in the early 19th Century. Last South Australian record: mid-19th Century.

The Kangaroo Island Emu was probably more adapted to scrub and woodlands than its larger mainland relative the Emu (D. novaehollandiae) which favours open plains. It was hunted extensively by European sealers and whalers, and may have become extinct through a combination of hunting and bushfires. Bones, a few eggshell fragments, and a mounted skin in the Museum of Natural History in Geneva are all that now remain of the species.