The International Association of Amateur Heralds

To our Australian colleagues,

Fact of the day (on the site of my internet provider) -

"Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason."

Are these two statements correct?

Regards,

Iain Boyd

There is apparently a book titled Emus Can't Walk Backwards: Another Round of Dubious Pub Facts http://books.google.de/books?id=00U4ECEqJ0kC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=kangaroos+and+emus+can%27t+walk+backwards&source=bl&ots=BDVlGpu1vs&sig=TLG_4mcaJiRrnKZB7MKQSY5PIWo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hlaHUvWVE87Xsgbp04DwCg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=kangaroos%20and%20emus%20can%27t%20walk%20backwards&f=false

Basically it says no to both. Both animals have difficulty moving backwards, and kangaroos having trouble walking in any direction. The book also cites the animals' nearness in height as a main factor in their choice, and the bowman flag as the inspiration for the coat of arms.

The design on the Bowman flag.

More about the Bowman Flag, and other early Australian heraldry, on this site.

Curious statements.
Are there any other supporters on arms that are there because they cannot walk or fly backwards or in any other direction?
Many arms have lions. I come from Africa and I have never noticed a lion walking backwards. On the other hand, I have definitely walked backwards on seeing some of the wildlife in Africa.