“And the emu, not standing up to the cassowary, accompanied the cassowary on their continued journey of the safari, never to return because a zebra herd trapped them back into pre-color television times indefinitely.” ~ JS Mason
You might have heard about Emu, the world's second-largest bird, but have you heard of Cassowary? This World Cassowary Day on September 26, let us explore some intriguing details about the world's most dangerous and third largest bird- `CASSOWARY’.
This bird has the following three species:
● Southern, casuarius casuarius
● Northern, unappendiculatus
● Dwarf, bennetti
The southern or double-wattled cassowary is one of the three species of cassowary. This large, flightless but enthralling bird has a striking appearance, covered in hues of blue and red. The bird derives its name from Papuan origin, Kasu means horned and weri means head. Native to Australia, Southern Cassowary are large flightless birds which can reach upto a height of 5.5 feet. Females can weigh upto 76 kg and are larger than male which can weigh upto 55 kg. Younger Cassowaries are browner than the adults and have dull coloured head and neck. Due to the presence of a hollow pointed keratin structure atop its head- Casque, this bird traces its history to that of dinosaurs. Another striking feature of this unique bird is its long , glossy and black feathers which are coarse and hair-like.
These birds are inhabitants of dense rainforests and can eat fish and insects but are preferably frugivores that feed on the products of several rainforest trees - at least 238!
Cassowaries are difficult to study due to their isolated inhabitation in rough inaccessible terrain. These birds are generally shy and reclusive, however just like other animals, turn aggressive when threatened. Cassowaries communicate with their wide repertoire of deep growls and rumbling and sometimes with low frequency sounds inaudible to human ears.
These dinosaur birds defy the maternal social structure of the animal world, with the female laying eggs and male being the sole caregiver. Interestingly, their eggs have a greenish colour due to the presence of biliverdin, a common pigment found in bird eggshells. This green colour helps in camouflaging the eggs from the predators as cassowaries are ground nesting birds.
Why are cassowaries important?
● Cassowaries disperse large rainforest fruits and are only long distance dispersal agent for large-seeded fruits
● They are capable of eating fruits and seeds which would be toxic to other species
● They are considered keystone species due to their role in seed dispersal
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Written by-Ekanshi Ojha
BA Hons (Political Science)
First Year
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