People have referred to the cassowary – a huge, flightless, emu-like creature – as the most dangerous bird in the world, due to the fact that it can seriously injure or kill a human or dog in an instant with its deadly talons. But what exactly is a cassowary, and what makes this exotic bird so threatening?
What is a cassowary?
Cassowaries are flightless, or flat-breasted birds that cannot fly, like their cousin, the emu. The cassowary’s habitat extends from the dense rainforests of northeastern Australia to New Guinea and the surrounding islands.
The size varies from one cassowary species to another. The most common cassowaries, the southern cassowaries, can grow to a height of 1.5 to 1.8 meters and weigh almost 77 kilos. A dwarf cassowary bird, on the other hand, can be only 3 feet (1 meter) long and weigh about 50 pounds (27 kilos).
“Cassowaries are the heaviest bird in Australia, and the southern cassowary is the second heaviest in the world (the heaviest bird in the world is the ostrich),” says Rick Schwartz, a global ambassador for the San Diego Zoo in California, where several southern zoos are located. cassowaries in the Safari Park, in an email interview. “With that in mind, they also have very small wings. When extended, their wings extend less than a foot (0.3 meters) from their body.”
What does a cassowary look like?
There are three different types of cassowaries: the northern cassowary, the southern cassowary and the dwarf cassowary. The southern cassowary, commonly found in North Queensland and New Guinea, is known for its striking appearance, with bushy feathers, a vivid blue face, two red wattles and a prominent casque or casque.
“Of the three species of cassowaries, only the northern and southern cassowaries have wattles,” says Schwartz. “It is thought they may help convey the bird’s current behavior, indicate an individual bird’s vitality to other cassowaries, or provide other signals and communications currently known only to cassowaries.”
The bird’s helmet is made of keratin, the same protein that the bird’s feathers, nails and beak are made of, Schwartz said. “The outer layer is thick and hard,” he says, “but the inside is very porous.”
Schwartz continues, “The purpose of the casque is not yet fully understood, but several theories exist – including that it may help amplify vocalizations, serve as head protection as the bird pushes its head through dense forest. , or whether it could be another way for the birds.” to reflect age and vitality.”
The Cassowary Diet
Cassowaries are frugivores, meaning they feed on fruit. Their claws allow them to dig deep into leaf litter for fallen fruit that other species might miss. According to Schwartz, this makes them very important for the surrounding ecosystem.
The seeds of any fruit the bird eats are passed through the cassowary’s digestive tract as it walks around, he explains. “Thus, their feces deposit seeds surrounded by natural fertilizer, spreading the diversity of plants in their region.”
Because of the important role they play in the widespread distribution of these fruit seeds, researchers consider cassowaries a keystone species. Their large size allows them to disperse larger seeds than most birds, such as those of the Ryparosa, a rare Australian rainforest tree.
The cassowary family unit
Male cassowaries play a more prominent role in raising their young than female cassowaries. After the female lays her eggs, the male participates in incubation and is then the primary caregiver for the young cassowary chicks after they hatch.
“The female returns to her solitary life,” says Schwartz, “and does not participate in incubating the eggs or caring for the young. This may be a way to enable her to have multiple clutches in one breeding season with different males, diversifying her genetics into the next generation.”
Cassowaries vs. Emus
Although a cassowary is not an emu, both emus and cassowaries can be considered related in taxonomy (the science of classifying animals for living and extinct species), Schwartz said. ‘They share the same scientific order [Casuariiformes]’ he explains. “But within that order they are in different scientific families.”
Cassowaries are descended from dinosaurs
Cassowaries are direct descendants of dinosaurs. As noted in Rainforest Rescue’s Save the Cassowary campaign, modern birds are descended from dinosaurs, and cassowaries are one of the oldest genera of living birds.
The casque of the cassowary may perform a similar function to that of the helmet of the lambeosaurus (a duck-billed dinosaur). Similarities in their feet and respiratory systems also exist between cassowaries and theropod dinosaurs. Finally, their reproductive behavior also shows similarities with some groups of dinosaurs.
Why can’t cassowaries fly?
The feathers of cassowaries are not suitable for flying. According to Schwartz, a cassowary has dense, black feathers that are long and thin compared to the broad and shapely feathers of a flying bird. “From a distance, some people even say that the cassowary’s feathers look more like hair,” he adds.
“The cassowary’s feathers are not suitable for flight, but they work very well for a ground-dwelling bird living in a forest ecosystem,” he continues. “The longer, thinner feathers help direct water away from the body and also protect the bird’s body from low branches, sharp twigs and thorns.”
What makes a cassowary such a dangerous bird?
The speed and physical characteristics of cassowaries make them serious threats. Thanks to their powerful legs, cassowaries can run at a speed of about 50 km/h, even through dense thickets. These muscular legs end in claw-tipped toes that can pack quite a powerful punch, including severe bleeding and fatal wounds to a victim’s internal organs.
“What’s so impressive is the claw on the inner toe of each foot,” says Schwartz. “Of the three species, that claw is very sharp and can range from 7 to 12 inches long. The cassowary will use these sharp claws and their powerful kick to defend themselves. It is often said that they can disembowel a human in one single stage, although there is no record of this happening.
Do cassowaries attack humans?
Cassowaries occasionally attack humans and are even capable of killing a human. In 2019, a cassowary killed a 75-year-old Florida man who was raising the bird on his property. After he tripped and fell, the bird attacked him, and he later succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
In Florida, where the man died, the state lists cassowaries (along with alligators and wild cats) as Class II animals because of the risk they pose. This means that anyone who wants to own one will have to pass numerous tests and obtain a special permit from the local authorities. Even then, cassowary attacks can of course still occur, due to the bird’s unpredictability.
Fortunately, these types of attacks are rare. According to Guinness World Records, you are much more likely to get a snakebite or even an infection transmitted by a dog than you are to be injured by a cassowary.
Furthermore, cassowaries are far from the deadliest animal in the world. That title goes to mosquitoes, which are responsible for between 725,000 and 1 million human deaths per year through the transmission of disease-causing pathogens.
To avoid a cassowary attack, do not provoke the bird. Better yet, stay away from it completely.
Where can you see a cassowary?
The best place to see a cassowary is at a zoo or other animal park. This is not only for your safety, but also because it is very rare to encounter a cassowary in its natural habitat.
The dense rainforest flora makes it difficult to spot a cassowary, even with its brightly colored head. Furthermore, you are unlikely to hear one, as the bird call is right at the edge of human hearing.
“It’s the lowest known call of any bird,” Schwartz says of the deep, low-frequency booming sound. “And it’s so low that it’s almost inaudible to the human ear. If you’re near it when it makes this call, you can feel the vibrations in your chest.”
According to Schwartz, cassowaries are good at avoiding people.
“Thanks to their excellent hearing, they will hear you coming long before you even know they are there, and will most likely disappear into the woods to avoid you,” he says. “However, if you ever encounter one in the wild, it is best to give them plenty of space and not get close to them or attempt to feed them.”
The cassowary population is declining
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species), all three species of cassowary are listed as least worrying, but populations are declining.
“Like many species, their biggest challenges are habitat loss due to human population growth, road construction (which causes car collisions), and human-introduced species that raid nests,” says Schwartz. “The good news is that the governments of the countries that cassowaries call home are stepping up their conservation efforts.”
Dogs pose another major threat to young cassowaries, as does hunting. Poachers catch young birds and sell them for their meat and beautiful feathers.
According to Rainforest Rescue, there are fewer than 4,600 cassowaries left in the wild. (Luckily that’s more than in 2021, which was less than 1,000!)
The dwarf cassowary, also called Bennett’s cassowary, is the most endangered in New Guinea. Rainforest Rescue, an Australian-based organization, works to protect and restore the bird’s natural habitat, and create safe passage for these and other creatures through the strategic repurchase of rainforest properties and the restoration of damaged rainforest.
Original article: The cassowary is the most dangerous bird in the world
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