Facts about Southern cassowary

It is also the largest and heaviest one.

Scientific name of southern cassowary is Casuarius casuarius. The name Casuarius is derived from the Malay language. The term "kasu" means horned, and "weri" means head.

They appeared on Earth about 60 million years ago, 6 million years after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

These birds share some dinosaur features: three clawed feet, strong legs, and casqued heads. In addition, DNA studies suggest that cassowaries and emus are the closest relatives of the ratites that lived on the continent of Gondwana.

Tropical rainforests are their primary habitat, but they can also be found in wetlands or savanna. It is estimated that from 20,000 to 50,000 birds live in the wild.

Heavier than it are only the Common ostrich and the Somali ostrich.

The neck color can vary in different individuals due to the habitat in which they live.

Bird's casque starts to develop after the first year of life.

In juvenile specimens, the body color is more brownish.

Adults are about 1,7 m (5.6 ft) tall and weigh between 55 and 76kg (121 to 167 lb). Their beak can be very long, ranging from 9.8 to 19 cm (3,9 to 7,5 in). Females are larger than males.

Their diet consists of many tropical forest fruits. Over 238 species of plants have been recorded on the Southern Cassowary diet. They are considered plant seeders as fruit seeds cannot be digested by the short digestive tract. Seeds in the cassowaries' droppings germinate more quickly, probably due to fertilization with excreta.

They spend only a few weeks in pairs during the mating season, which begins in June and ends in October.

Nests are provisory constructions made mostly of leaves. Eggs are 16 x 10 cm (6,3 x 4,1 in) in size and weigh about 580 g (20 oz). After laying the eggs, the female leaves the nest and is ready to find a new mate.

He is responsible for hatching the eggs and caring for the hatchlings. Hatching usually takes up to 60 days. Juveniles stay with their father for nearly ten months. During this time, he teaches them how to live independently, obtain food and defend themselves.

Adult cassowaries can run up to 50 km (31 mi) per hour.

This means that they are most active during dusk and dawn. They spend the day basking in the sun.

The three-toed feet are thick and strong, equipped with a deadly dagger-like claw up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long on the inner toe. In danger, cassowary can deliver powerful and deadly kicks with the claw. Out of the fight, the claw is used to dig in the ground to find food.

They share a common ancestor that lived about 40 million years ago.

Those birds are excellent swimmers and can jump up to 2 m (7 ft) high to avoid a predator.

They reach maturity in 2,5 to 3 years. In captivity, cassowary can live up to 50 years.

The booming sound emitted by a cassowary is the lowest known call of any bird and lies just at human hearing limit.