南方鶴鴕 (Casuarius casuarius) 是一種不會飛的大型鳥類，分布於巴布亞紐幾內亞、印尼及澳洲北部的熱帶雨林、紅樹林以及草原地帶。牠們有黑色的羽毛、像披著毛皮一樣的毛絨身體和強健的灰色腿腳。南方鶴鴕的頭頂有顯眼的棕色骨盔，彎曲的鳥喙為棕黑色，喉嚨為寶藍色，頭頂為淺藍色。牠的後頸為橘色，喉嚨下方垂有兩塊紅色的肉髯。雖然雌雄外貌近似，但雌性的體型明顯大於雄性，頭冠、鳥喙更大，色彩也更為鮮豔。雄性南方鶴鴕身高約 112 至 136 公分，平均體重在 29 至 34 公斤左右。雌性身長在 140 至 170 公分之間，平均體重在 46 至 69 公斤之間。
Latin Name
Casuarius casuarius
Featured
false
Slug
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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