The southern cassowary is a large flightless bird that lives in the rainforests, mangroves and grasslands of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Northern Australia. They have black plumage with a shaggy fur-like appearance and robust, grey legs and feet. The southern cassowary has a distinctive brown casque on top of their head, a brown-black curved beak, a royal blue throat and a pale blue crown. The back of its neck is orange and it has two red wattles hanging down from its throat. Although males and females look similar, females are significantly larger than males, have bigger crests, beaks and brighter coloration. Male Southern cassowaries measure between 112-136cm and weigh between 29-34kg on average. Females measure between 140-170cm and weigh between 46-69kg on average.
Latin Name
Casuarius casuarius
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southern-cassowary
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Animal Facts
The eggs of the southern cassowary are pea green when first laid and fade in colour over time.
The talons of the southern cassowary can be up to 12cm long and are very sharp.
Southern cassowaries can be aggressive and have been known to kill humans.
Cassowaries are important to their local environment as they are effective seed dispersers; they eat over 200 species of plants and disperse the seeds as they are egested.
The southern cassowary features in the mythology of many rainforest tribes, with stories stating that cassowaries are reincarnations of humans, and that humans were created from the feathers of a female cassowary.
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