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As The Britannica Concise on Yahoo! Reference so kindly informed us, the cassowary is a relative of the better-known emu and is part of the Ratite family of birds, all of whom are large and flightless. There are actually 3 different species of the bird -- the Southern or Double-wattled Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), the One-wattled Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus), and the Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti). This strange-looking bird stands fairly tall -- the largest can grow to be over 6 feet tall and weigh around 130 pounds. In fact, the cassowary is one of the largest birds in the world, second only to the ostrich. The females of the species are generally bigger and more colorful than the males. (Interestingly, the cassowary is one of the few species in which the male bird incubates the eggs and cares for the young.) The red, blue, and purple head of the bird sports a bony "helmet" for protection. The cassowary is primarily found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Due to the clearing of rainforest, the animal has lost a good deal of its natural habitat and has been forced to find new places to survive. Disease, traffic, dogs, and humans
have contributed to the decline of the population, and the cassowary is now an endangered species. There are only an estimated 1500-3000 of the birds remaining, most of which live in Australia. Though the bird's diet consists mainly of fruit and the occasional small animal, on the innermost toe of each foot, the cassowary sports a 5" long knife-like nail. When threatened, the animal delivers powerful kicks and can slash open an animal or person. It has been rumored to kill the odd human that got on its bad side, but some sources claim this is an exaggeration. However, it's certainly capable of inflicting serious harm. So if your travels ever take you to Australia and you happen to cross paths with the bird, you would be
wise to heed our advice and be very wary of the wild cassowary!
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