Cassowaries

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.

Over 1,0000 hunters.

A cassowary's egg measures about 139mm x 93 mm (5.4 inches x 3.6 inches).

The cassowary's biome is rainforest and other dense bushland where they can easily hide, from low-lying swampland forests to high, mountainous forests.

fruit, flowers, grass seeds, and small vertebrates

The three species of cassowary are:

Southern cassowary, or double-wattled cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)

Northern cassowary, or single-wattled cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)

Bennett's cassowary, or dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti)