Emus von King Island und Kangaroo Island in Europa – Neue Erkenntnisse über 1804 von der Baudin-Expedition mitgebrachte Vertreter inzwischen ausgerotteter Laufvögel

Abstract

A few specimens of two extinct emu forms formerly distributed on King Island and Kangaroo Island both south of Australian mainland were brought to France by the Baudin expedition in the beginning of 19^th century. Two individuals lived in Paris until 1822. Partly different information and opinions about number and identity of the emus loaded on board by the expedition on the named islands and about the whereabouts of the remains of these birds in European museums have been published in both historical and modern literature. This paper contains description, comparison, analysis, and assessment of the different stances and gives an overview about the current scientific knowledge about the subject.