• 

  Profile

• 

  In flight

Flightless Club

Southern Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

• rare
• 48 km/h
• Least Concern

Flightless, dangerous, and has a head like a dinosaur. Do not dispute the delivery.

Population

~20,000–50,000 mature individuals globally (2018 IUCN assessment; likely an underestimate; Australian subpopulation roughly 1,500–5,000 depending on source/year), overall trend decreasing

Habitat

Tropical lowland rainforest, occasionally using adjacent savanna forest, mangroves, and fruit plantations; from near sea level up to ~1,100–1,400 m in Australia and generally below 500 m in New Guinea

Fun fact

The Southern Cassowary carries a lethal, dagger-like claw up to 12 cm long on the inner toe of each foot, and can run up to 50 km/h and jump nearly 2 m vertically — contributing to its reputation as the world's most dangerous bird.

Range

Northeastern Australia (Queensland, from around the Paluma Range north to Cape York Peninsula), and lowland New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Indonesian Papua) plus nearby islands (e.g. Seram, Aru)

Diet

Primarily fallen rainforest fruit (frugivorous, including fruits toxic to other animals), supplemented by fungi, invertebrates, small vertebrates, and carrion

Size

1.7 m

Lifespan

40 years