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- Southern Cassowary
Southern Cassowary
Casuariiformes, Casuariidae
Casuarius Casuarius
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The Southern Cassowary is a large bird that lives in New Guinea and Australia. They are flightless, but equipped with a strong kick. Their numbers continue to decline because of disappearing tropical rainforests and hunting.
Total length: 120-150cm
(Source: Doubutsu Sekai-isan* Red Data Animals Kodansha) (*World Animal Heritage)
The Southern Cassowary lives in the tropical rainforests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia.
Their favorite food is fruits, but they also eat animals like snails and insects.
The female Southern Cassowary leaves the nest after it lays her eggs. Interestingly, it is the male bird that incubates the eggs and raises the little chicks!
Find out more about the Southern Cassowary!
Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The Most Dangerous Bird"!
The Southern Cassowary lives only in New Guinea and northeastern Australia. They are big birds reaching lengths of up 150 centimeters. An interesting fact about the Southern Cassowary is that they have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "The Most Dangerous Bird to Humans". Although they are flightless, their strong legs and sharp claws can deliver a powerful kick in the presence of danger to their chicks or themselves. The kick is capable of killing humans.
Roads reaching far into the forests are driving them into extinction...
The Southern Cassowary continues to decline in number as road and housing construction invade the tropical forests where they live. Not only are they being deprived of their habitat, but with roads now reaching far into the forest, Southern Cassowary are becoming easier prey for food poachers. Not even their strong kick can defend them from guns. Recently, conservation activities have been launched, but their numbers have yet to recover.
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