So in the Tropical forests of North Queensland and Papua New Guinea there lives a strange beast.
A bird of feather with no wings, it cannot fly, has a horn like a rhino and claws like a lion.
Its neck is irrudescent blue and the male cares for the eggs and chicks whilst the female flaunts herself in the forest eating and gorging herself.
The male is very protective of its chicks and has been known to gut men from pelvis to sternim with the greatest of ease whilst head butting its weary victims with its great horn.
They are extremely endangered, due in no small part to us humans, taking away their forests and putting roads through their walking areas.
The cassowary eats a few different types of seeds that will only germinate if they have passed through the cassowary's gut. I other words, the rainforest itself relies on the Cassowary to be a rainforest.
The southern Cassowary stands at the tallest 5 feet, some male cassowary's have been known to stand over 6 feet tall. Quite formidable considering their frightful look.
They exist in very small pockets in Northern Queensland, their numbers in New Guinea are stronger yet as they are an ellusive animal it is very difficultto study them. Unfortunately mostare studied after death from being hit by drivers going to fast in Cassowary zones.
Here are some pics of the amazing Cassowary. Comments welcome.
Rather striking isn't he?
Their feathers are very strange, more like sheaths than feathers. They still have wing buds but no wings to speak of and these birds are a completely different genus to the humble Ostritch or Emu.
Check out those feet! would you really want to meet up wih an angry Cassowary?????? I don't think so.
Doing the fatherly thing, as I said the males take care of the chicks... aren't they cute (until they grow up of course)
