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Cassowaries- The World's Most Deadly Bird

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Cassowaries- The World's Most Deadly Bird

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Are cassowaries dangerous?  We wondered if they have ever hurt people after reading how strong their legs are on page 4

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Some have claimed the cassowary to look like a 'giant prehistoric turkey', but they are in fact descendants of dinosaurs. Looking somewhat like a combination of a turkey and an ostrich, their body features different colours and textures (from feathers to skin) like that of a dinosaur, from their large, black-feathered body to the bluish skin on their head and reddish skin on their neck to blue-grey coloured legs. Their descending from dinosaurs supports the classification of the cassowary as the 'most dangerous bird on Earth'.

They are flightless birds

Due to their lack of a chest-bone structure allowing the support of muscles necessary to fly, the cassowary, like the emu and the ostrich, is another flightless bird. Although they cannot fly, they can surely put up a fight, jumping as high as two metres from the ground, and they can run at a speed of up to 50 kilometres per hour.

They use their casque and claw in self-defence

As they cannot fly away from a fight, cassowaries have adapted to use their casque and claw to protect themselves and stand their ground. The casque is a helmet-like crest located on the top of their head that grows to around 15 centimetres in length and 17 centimetres in height that prevents any skull injuries to the cassowary during fights. In a fight they will stand as tall as possible, ruffle their feathers and hiss, and lower their head to show off their casque before attacking.

Not only do they make use of the casque, but their middle claw acts like a dagger, standing at 12 centimetres in length, and can cause serious damage - it's quite capable of killing a dog.

They will not attack for no reason

Despite its reputation, the cassowary will not attack for no reason. They are quite shy creatures and would much rather avoid confrontation where possible; however, they are very territorial and defensive of their young. More often than not, the main reason for attacking is self defence for the aforementioned reasons, as well as due to expecting food from the people who approach them.

They attack up to 200 people every year

Swiftly karate-kicking whoever approaches them with their powerful legs, over 200 cassowary attacks are reported every year. Of these 200, 70% of attacks occur due to people trying to get up close to the cassowary, wanting to feed them, causing the cassowary to feel threatened. Although there are hundreds of attacks every year though, the last recorded death caused by a cassowary was in 1926.

They are the heaviest bird in Australia

Standing between 1.5 and 2 metres in height and weighing anywhere from 110 pounds to over 160 pounds, the cassowary has been named the heaviest bird in Australia. Although full-grown females are larger and more aggressive than males, both are unpredictable birds.

They are responsible for keeping our rainforests healthy

Located in the far north of Australia, generally in the rainforests of north Queensland, the cassowary is responsible for the distribution and germination of plants throughout the area. Being frugivores (fruit eaters), various undigested seeds and berries are released through their defecation, allowing the seeds to grow into new plants. As a result, cassowaries are the natural gardeners of the rainforests!

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World's Most Dangerous Bird: 7 Facts About The Cassowary

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Some have claimed the cassowary to look like a 'giant prehistoric turkey', but they are in fact descendants of dinosaurs. Looking somewhat like a combination of a turkey and an ostrich, their body features different colours and textures (from feathers to skin) like that of a dinosaur, from their large, black-feathered body to the bluish skin on their head and reddish skin on their neck to blue-grey coloured legs.

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After reading that cassowaries are native to Australia, we wondered if there are any in the United States? It looks like they may be in zoos, but not in the wild.

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Cassowary | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants

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Many zoos participate in a Species Survival Plan (SSP) for southern cassowaries; its North American Regional Studbook is held at the San Diego Zoo. In addition, San Diego Zoo Global is helping to support a study to place radio collars on juvenile cassowaries that are rescued and released after being hand raised to see if tracking is feasible.

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How can you help the endangered Cassowary?

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How can you help the endangered Cassowary?

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After reading on pages 15-16 that not enough is done to help cassowaries, we wondered, what can we do?

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Save the Cassowary | Rainforest Rescue Save the Cassowary campaign |

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Rainforest Rescue has initiated the Save the Cassowary campaign in collaboration with partners to highlight the future of the endangered Southern Cassowary

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On page 12, when it discusses the strength of the cassawaries, we wondered if they ever attack people?

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Cassowary at Cape Tribulation - Daintree, PART 1

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What else do we want to know about Cassowaries? What did our text not tell us?

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All birds are living dinosaurs, but the dagger-clawed cassowary especially looks the part. Here's everything you need to know about the majestic-and terrifying-avians.

1. THE SOUTHERN CASSOWARY IS EARTH'S SECOND-HEAVIEST BIRD.

Scientists currently recognize three living species of cassowary-all of which are restricted to New Guinea, northeastern Australia, and nearby islands. Among them, the aptly-named dwarf cassowary is the smallest, with an average height of around 3 feet. Then there's the northern cassowary, an orange-throated behemoth that can stand nearly 5 feet tall. But the southern cassowary is bigger than both: From toe to head-crest, this avian can stand 5 foot 6 inches tall. The only two birds that grow taller are ostriches and emus. Southern cassowaries do exceed the latter in weight, though; adults often tip the scales at 125 pounds. Behind ostriches, this makes them the second-heaviest birds on the planet.

2. THESE BIRDS HAVE DANGEROUS FEET.

In certain parts of their Australian range, you might come across warning signs that read " Be Cass-o-wary." Heed this advice. Normally, cassowaries are shy, reclusive animals. But when threatened or cornered, they can become aggressive, striking back with powerful head-butts and pecks. The most dangerous weapon in their arsenal is a razor-sharp claw on the inner toe of each foot, which, in southern cassowaries, grows to be 5 inches long. The birds deliver a series of downward kicks with their hind legs that have been known to break bones and cause serious lacerations. With a well-placed strike, the claws can rip open a human belly-or throat.

3. REARING CHICKS IS THE FATHER'S JOB.

Come mating season, a female will breed with several partners. After laying her eggs, she abandons them, at which point the males take over. For the next 50 days or so, each cassowary dad steadfastly incubates his clutch. During this period, an expectant father never leaves the nest, not even to eat or drink; he even enters a strange state where he doesn't even need to go to the bathroom until the eggs hatch. Once they do, dad spends the next nine months raising and defending his chicks. The male also teaches his growing birds how to forage so that when he eventually chases them away, the youngsters can fend for themselves.

4. CASSOWARIES ARE SURPRISINGLY GOOD JUMPERS.

What's scarier than a 125-pound modern dinosaur with killer claws? One that can leap 5 feet off the ground. To get the most out of those toe daggers, cassowaries will sometimes jump feet-first at an attacker, with the claws slashing downward in midair. They're great sprinters to boot, with a top running speed of 30 miles per hour.

5. A SPIKE IS HIDDEN ON EACH WING

Cassowaries are closely akin to ostriches, emus, and kiwis. Like their better-known cousins, the casqued birds have useless vestigial wings. On the tip of each is a small claw that probably serves no purpose.

6. THEY MOSTLY EAT FRUIT.

Wild cassowaries mainly dine on assorted fruits and berries that fall to the ground in the forests they call home. Every day, the typical southern specimen gobbles up roughly 11 pounds' worth. The big birds also eat plenty of fungi-along with the occasional dead animal for some extra protein.

Cassowaries are prone to hunt down live critters like rodents, snails, and lizards every so often. Poop is yet another item on the menu. Cassowary dung usually contains half-digested fruit, which still has plenty of nutritional value, so these guys are known to devour each other's droppings-as well as their own. Waste not, want not!

7. THE FUNCTION OF THEIR ODD CRESTS-OR "CASQUES"-IS A MYSTERY

With royal blue necks and shaggy, jet-black feathers, cassowaries look like no other birds on planet earth. Their most distinctive feature is the helmet-like casque that sits above the eyes. A bony protrusion covered with a sheath of keratin (the material which makes up your fingernails), this ornament begins to develop when the bird is around 2 years old. Scientists have long speculated-sometimes wildly-about its purpose. One theory is that casques help the animals push aside forest underbrush. The structures might also be used as a way to attract the opposite sex.

A more interesting hypothesis involves how these birds communicate. Cassowaries emit very deep bellows-the lowest bird calls known to man. Perhaps their casques amplify and broadcast these sounds by acting as a resonation chamber. It's believed that certain crested dinosaurs (like Parasaurolophus of Jurassic Park fame) produced various calls in the exact same way.

8. THEY'VE BEEN KNOWN TO LIVE FOR DECADES (AT LEAST IN ZOOS).

Naturalists don't know how old a wild cassowary can expect to get. That said, a few southern cassowaries have reached their 40th birthdays in captivity. Under human care, northern cassowaries can top that figure-one bird reached the age of 48 and another specimen may have been as old as 61 when it died. Meanwhile, the average lifespan for captive dwarf cassowaries is just 26 years.

9. CASSOWARIES HAVE STRANGE GENITALIA.

Both sexes sport a phallic-looking " pseudo-penis" appendage. However, it isn't connected to any of their reproductive organs internally. During copulation, the male ejaculates through his cloaca-an orifice that lies at the base of the pseudo-penis and not the tip. Males also have what's usually described as a "vagina-like cavity." When they aren't mating, the pseudo-penis is turned inside out and retracted into this orifice.

Such peculiar anatomy has given the cassowary a unique place in New Guinean culture and folklore. For example, the native Mianmin people tell stories about a human woman with a penis who somehow transformed into a cassowary. Another indigenous group, the Umeda, put on a regular ceremony called "ida." A big event that lasts for two days and nights, the ritual involves a fertility dance which calls for two male dancers who represent a pair of cassowaries. Each player is given a heavy mask and is coated with charcoal from head to toe.

10. AT LEAST ONE UNFORTUNATE HUMAN HAS BEEN KILLED BY A CASSOWARY.

In April 1926, 16-year-old Phillip McLean and his younger brother, Granville, set two family dogs on a wild cassowary near their farm in north Queensland. Things quickly got out of hand. The bird fought back, driving away Granville and one of the canines with a couple of kicks. This didn't deter Philip or the other dog, as both remained in the fray. Suddenly, the cassowary charged Philip, who fell backwards while trying to flee. Pushing its advantage, it pounced onto the boy and gouged away at his throat. A short while later, the elder McLean died of blood loss. To date, this is the only verified report of a cassowary taking human life.

In 1999, Christopher P. Kofron-then a ranger with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife service-analyzed 150 documented cassowary-on-human attacks. Twenty-two percent of these cases came down to the bird defending itself, its eggs, or its chicks. Another 5 percent were triggered by somebody who'd gotten too close to a cassowary's food.

The remaining 73 percent of the incidents involved a cassowary that associated people with free meals. For decades, well-meaning Queenslanders have been handing out bananas, watermelons, and other treats to these dangerous animals. This has led many cassowaries to lose their natural shyness around humans in populated areas. Today, feeding a wild one is against the law, but the practice still continues-so if you live in cassowary country, make like you're at the zoo and don't feed the birds.

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All birds are living dinosaurs, but the dagger-clawed cassowary especially looks the part. Here's everything you need to know about the majestic-and terrifying-avians. 1. THE SOUTHERN CASSOWARY IS EARTH'S SECOND-HEAVIEST BIRD. Scientists currently recognize three living species of cassowary-all of which are restricted to New Guinea, northeastern Australia, and nearby islands.