# Australian coat of arms question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 26, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798 "2013-11-26T03:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/1 "2013-11-26T03:44:33Z")
The Australian coat of arms has a Kangaroo and an Emu, they say the reason for this is because they are the only animals that can’t take a backwards step. Is this true? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/2 "2013-11-26T04:15:47Z")
It is true that they say that, yes. It’s not true that they are the only animals that can’t take a step backwards. I have myself seen emus step backwards, though they don’t do it elegantly or very often. And if you tone down the statement to a claim that kangaroos and emus _don’t_ step backwards, or don’t do it very often, well, then it might be true, but it certainly wouldn’t be true that they are the _only_ animals that don’t step backwards. Nor have we any reason to think that these animals were chosen because of a belief that they couldn’t or wouldn’t step backwards; there is no evidence for this at all. The claim that this was the motivation is fairly recent, whereas the coat of arms itself was granted in 1908. The arms are believed to have been influenced by the Bowman flag, created in 1805 to celebrate Britain’s victory at Trafalgar, which depicts floral symbols of the UK (rose, thistle, shamrock) on a shield supported by a kangaroo and an emu. The choice seems to be fully explained by the fact that kangaroos and emus are striking to the colonial eye, and are distinctively Australian. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/3 "2013-11-26T04:25:57Z")
These [fighting kangaroos](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEDq0SAYW44) clearly take some backwards steps. When they are moving backwards (or forwards) they usually jump, but sometimes move the hind feet alternately and take steps (if short ones). [These emus fighting with a kangaroo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9OBqYbZ99c) also take an occasional short step backwards. Some of these [dancing emus](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT4ddBcjDEk) also take short steps backward. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/4 "2013-11-26T04:31:57Z")
I suspect it is a bit of post-hoc revisionism that sounds cool. The Kangaroo and Emu are two of Australia’s most iconic fauna symbols and that’s probably why they were chosen rather than lions or eagles (which we have - eagles, not lions). It sounds like a one of those e-mails that you get from your auntie who thinks she’s discovered some deep philosophical meaning in a cute saying. In other words - heard it, but don’t think much of it. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/5 "2013-11-26T04:51:55Z")
\*\*[Australian coat of arms 1912 edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_coat_of_arms_1912_edit.png) (Needs a drop bear.) \*\* ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/6 "2013-11-26T04:55:24Z")
Yes it’s true that is what we say, as symbolism goes its pretty good. However I have always maintained that our early forefathers picked them because they are yummy. I guess the real reason is that they are uniquely Australian (but still yummy) ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/7 "2013-11-26T04:57:05Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > \*\*[Australian coat of arms 1912 edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_coat_of_arms_1912_edit.png) > > (Needs a drop bear.) > \*\* Funny how the roo looks pissed off and the emu cheeky! ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/8 "2013-11-26T05:07:33Z")
Not sure how many other countries have their emblems considered feral and periodically conduct extensive culls of them. In fact during the 1930s there was the “Emu War” in Western Astralia when farmers requested military assistance to disperse a plague of up to 20,000 emus. The “exeditionary force” comprises a Major from the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, a pair of soldiers armed with Lewis Automatic Machine Guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Considering the discrepancy in fire power was similar the the Battle of Omdurman when Maxim guns slaughtered the Sudanese Dervishes, the emus performed credibly. After using up about half their ammunition to cull possibaly as few as 100 of the birds the exercise was aborted. Major Meredith’s official report, along with advising that his men had suffered no casualties included the comment: “If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world…They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus whom even dum-dum bullets could not stop.” [How we lost the “Emu War”.](http://www.emugigs.com/emuwar/) ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/9 "2013-11-26T05:16:25Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Not sure how many other countries have their emblems considered feral and periodically conduct extensive culls of them. > > In fact during the 1930s there was the “Emu War” in Western Astralia when farmers requested military assistance to disperse a plague of up to 20,000 emus. > > The “exeditionary force” comprises a Major from the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, a pair of soldiers armed with Lewis Automatic Machine Guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. > > Considering the discrepancy in fire power was similar the the Battle of Omdurman when Maxim guns slaughtered the Sudanese Dervishes, the emus performed credibly. After using up about half their ammunition to cull possibaly as few as 100 of the birds the exercise was aborted. > > Major Meredith’s official report, along with advising that his men had suffered no casualties included the comment: > > “If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world…They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus whom even dum-dum bullets could not stop.” > > [How we lost the “Emu War”.](http://www.emugigs.com/emuwar/) Meh English have helped killed off the euro lions Yanks used to kill off their beloved eagles to dangerous levels Ivory Coast continue to hunt elephants to near extinction there India continue to close off national parks and do bugger all about poaching of Bengal Tigers Its because our animals are tough little feckers that we still need to cull them! ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/10 "2013-11-27T02:14:54Z")
The Spanish have the Bull, and we know what they do to them The French have the Cockerel - mmmmmm, chicken. Here’s the list (a list - not sure how ‘official’ some of these are). > **[List of national animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_animals)** > > This is a list of countries that have officially designated one or more animals as their national animals. I like that Indonesia has an ‘Animal of Charm’ - and it’s a fish. Iran has the Persian cat. Lions are popular, as, surprisingly, are fish. Mexico has a Nathional Arthropod - a grasshopper. Pakistan has National Amphibian - a toad. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/11 "2013-11-27T06:05:17Z")
Actually Australia didn’t design the original coat of arms with the kangaroo and emu. The 1908 version was created by the College of Arms in London. It wasn’t very popular and Andrew Fisher had it modified by artist Hugh Paterson. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/12 "2013-11-27T06:29:03Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Not sure how many other countries have their emblems considered feral and periodically conduct extensive culls of them. > > In fact during the 1930s there was the “Emu War” in Western Astralia when farmers requested military assistance to disperse a plague of up to 20,000 emus. > > The “exeditionary force” comprises a Major from the Seventh Heavy Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery, a pair of soldiers armed with Lewis Automatic Machine Guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. > > Considering the discrepancy in fire power was similar the the Battle of Omdurman when Maxim guns slaughtered the Sudanese Dervishes, the emus performed credibly. After using up about half their ammunition to cull possibaly as few as 100 of the birds the exercise was aborted. What people forget is the army went back a couple of weeks later - again with Lewis Guns - and did manage to kill something like 1,000 Emus. It took about 10,000 rounds to do it (ie an average of 10 bullets fired per Emu killed) but it’s worth keeping in mind the guns were loaded with the .303 Mk VII military round, which had a full metal jacket and was not ideal for culling animals (the projectile would not expand when it hit the Emu, but rather pass straight through it.) ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/13 "2013-11-27T06:51:31Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > \*\*[Australian coat of arms 1912 edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Australian_coat_of_arms_1912_edit.png) > > (Needs a drop bear.) > \*\* A goodly coat of arms ! I take it that the six sections on the shield, represent Australia’s six states. A bit more native fauna there: the black swan must be for Western Australia; and I gather (I’m not Australian) that the magpie-like bird is the emblem of South Australia. Googling tells me that the red lion on white field, is for Tasmania. Would have been nice if the state could have been represented by a Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger – my favourite animal, sadly now generally thought to be extinct (not everyone agrees with that verdict). ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/14 "2013-11-27T07:56:04Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > A goodly coat of arms ! I take it that the six sections on the shield, represent Australia’s six states. Yup. > [@vontsira](#): > > A bit more native fauna there: the black swan must be for Western Australia . . . Yup. > [@vontsira](#): > > . . . and I gather (I’m not Australian) that the magpie-like bird is the emblem of South Australia. It’s called the “piping shrike”, but that’s a heraldic bird; there aren’t any piping shrikes in nature, so it’s only “native fauna” in a rather loose sense. As depicted, it does look like some variety of magpie. > [@vontsira](#): > > Googling tells me that the red lion on white field, is for Tasmania. Would have been nice if the state could have been represented by a Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger – my favourite animal, sadly now generally thought to be extinct (not everyone agrees with that verdict). Tasmania’s own coat of arms features a pair of thylacines as supporters. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2013, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australian-coat-of-arms-question/674798/15 "2013-11-27T10:11:25Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > It’s called the “piping shrike”, but that’s a heraldic bird; there aren’t any piping shrikes in nature, so it’s only “native fauna” in a rather loose sense. As depicted, it does look like some variety of magpie. I like that ! A mythical specific-to-the-region bird, as the state emblem… > [@UDS](#): > > Tasmania’s own coat of arms features a pair of thylacines as supporters. That’s some consolation, one feels. Out of curiosity, I looked up the coat of arms of Mauritius: it has as supporters, a dodo and a deer.