The Cassowary has thick course feathers that help with protecting the bird from the thick dense vegetation of the rainforest.

The hard top on it's head is used as a shovel and for protection.

Sharp claws for digging for food and as weaponary.

The size of an adult cassowary depends on its species. The Southern Cassowary is the largest of these birds. The female is bigger than the male: it can be over 2 metres tall and weigh up to 80 kilograms, although they average around 60kg. The male ranges from 1.5 to 1.8m in height.

There are many interesting facts about cassowaries.

There are three species of cassowary: the Southern cassowary in Australia, and the Northern cassowary and Dwarf cassowary (Bennett's cassowary) only found on the island of New Guinea.

Cassowaries live in tropical rain forest as well as bushland and swampy lowlands, and feed mainly on fruits and fungi. Many tropical rain forest trees rely on the cassowary for the dispersal and even germination of their seeds. The seeds pass through the cassowary's digestive system and are excreted into a pile of the cassowary's own dung, meaning the seeds have their own ready-made pile of fertiliser. Therefore, if the cassowary were to become extinct, some trees would also become extinct.

Cassowaries have a casque (helmet) on the top of their head. It is not actually known what the cassowary's helmet is used for, but there are several theories. One theory is that the helmet is used to help the cassowary force its way through the thick undergrowth and vine forests in which it lives. The most likely theory is that, because the helmet continues to grow throughout the cassowary's life, it could be a sign of dominance. Recent scientific research has suggested the helmet may even assist cassowaries in detecting the low vibrating sound made by other cassowaries.

The cassowary female lays eggs in a nest prepared by the male then mates with him and moves on to another male. Like its cousin, the emu, the male raises the young, which incidentally are not all his, until they reach maturity.

The cassowary is endangered in Australia, mainly because of habitat degradation, but also because of feral pigs eating their eggs and trampling their nests, and wild and domestic dogs killing their chicks.

The bony plate on a cassowary's head is called a helmet.

It is not actually known what the helmet is used for, but there are several theories. The most likely theory is that, because the helmet continues to grow throughout the cassowary's life, it could be a sign of dominance. Recent scientific research has suggested the helmet may even assist cassowaries in detecting the low vibrating sound made by other cassowaries.

They are all members of the Class Aves. More specifically, they are all flightless birds, belonging to a group of birds called "ratites". Ratites are found almost exclusively within the Southern Hemisphere.

Cassowaries mostly eat fruit but can eat frogs, birds, fish , rodents, rotting meat, snails and insects and flowers. It uses its big beak to grip fruit or prey and swallows them down whole. The crop helps break the food down more. Humans don't have these. It's kinda at the bottom of the bird's throat.

Yes: the two species are quite different, although they have some similarities. They are both related to a group of birds called ratites. Other ratites include the emu of Australia, the kiwi from New Zealand and the ostrich from Africa. Ratites have wings but the bones in their chests do not have the capacity for flight muscles, which is what a bird needs to fly.

The cassowary is much larger and heavier than the rhea. The cassowary can be up to 60 cm taller than the rhea, and weighs between 50 and 60 kg on average, whereas the Greater rhea weighs between 20 and 27 kg. Also, the cassowary is found only in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Aru Islands. The rhea is native to South America.

The cassowary is one of the ratites, a particular group of flightless birds. Other members of this group, and therefore birds related to the cassowary, are the emu, kiwi,ostrich and rhea.

Cassowaries eat fruit!!

Cassowaries weigh between 50 and 60 kg. The Cassowary Husbandry Manual reports that they can be heavier, and mentions one specimen that weighed 86 kg. Females are larger and heavier than males.

The female cassowary lays between 3 and 8 eggs in a nest on the ground which is lined with leaves, twigs, sticks, bark, etc. She does not incubate the eggs.

The male cassowary raises the chicks and females are known to kill the chicks if given the opportunity.

Chicks stay with the male for around nine months, but it is several years before they reach reproductive age. A cassowary's lifespan can exceed 30 years in captivity.

Yes, definitely

The Southern cassowary lives in the rainforests of coastal northern Queensland, Australia, as well as in tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the Aru and Seram Islands. It is found in Cape York, in the vine forests of Lockerbie and McHenry Uplands, the vine forests of the McIlwraith and Iron Ranges, and in the Wet Tropics, from Big Tableland, south of Cooktown to Paluma, north of Townsville.

The Northern cassowary, or Golden-neck Cassowary, is found in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea.

Cassowaries' preferred habitat is rainforest and other dense bushland where they can easily hide, from low-lying swampland forests to high, mountainous forests.

Cassowaries are considered a keystone species as they play an important role in the ecology of the rainforest and bushland areas where they live, as they are vital in dispersing seeds in their native forests.

They are frugivores which feed on the fruit of up to 238 different species of plants. Because they are able to eat larger fruits, they can therefore can disperse large rainforest fruits after the seeds have passed through their digestive system, which is gentle enough to allow the seeds to remain viable. The cassowary has a wide range, so is also the only long distance means for dispersing large seeded fruits. The seeds are excreted into a pile of the cassowary's own dung, meaning the seeds have their own ready-made pile of fertiliser. The smell of the dung even helps to deter seed-eating predators such as the white-tailed rat. Of the hundreds of fruit-bearing species on which the cassowary feeds, between 70 and 100 of them appear to rely completely on the cassowary for dispersal.

Cassowaries are diurnal, not nocturnal, meaning they are active during the daytime.

when they are fearful of their chicks safety the male cassowary jump and kick out with his feet. the middle toe of each foot has a 6 inch or 15cm long razor sharp toenail which can cut through human tissue quite easily. they have been six recorded deaths due to injuries inflicted by cassowaries since white settlement of Australia

No. There are 3 species of cassowary and they all live in either Australia or New Guinea.

The Southern cassowary lives in the rainforests of coastal northern Queensland, Australia, as well as in tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the Aru and Seram Islands. It is found in Cape York, in the vine forests of Lockerbie and McHenry Uplands, the vine forests of the McIlwraith and Iron Ranges, and in the Wet Tropics, from Big Tableland, south of Cooktown to Paluma, north of Townsville.

The Northern cassowary, or Golden-neck Cassowary, is found in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea.

The order is Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

There are over 350 species of parrot, in over 80 genera, and 3 families, but they are all in the same order:

and the families are:

* Nestoridae * Cacatuidae

* Psittacidae Most parrots belong to the Psittacidae Family.

No. Cassowaries are neither poisonous nor venomous. The claws on their feet are deadly, but not because of any toxin - only because of their sharpness. The helmet, or casque, on their head is also completely free of any venom or poison.

Cassowaries do not have any natural enemies. Humans represent the main threat to them.