Cassowary Pop-Out Postcard

The Southern Cassowary is a large flightless bird of the ratite family, related to the emu and ostrich. With glossy black plumage, the adult Southern Cassowary has a vivid blue neck, long drooping red wattles and a tall, brown casque (helmet) on top of its head. They can be aggressive if provoked or protecting chicks. Each well-muscled three toed leg has a large dagger-shaped claw (up to 120mm long) on the middle toe used for defence, as well as scratching around the forest floor. They live in rainforests and mostly eat fallen fruit. Cassowaries play an important role in maintaining the diversity of rainforest trees by eating seeds of fruits and dispersing them over long distances through their droppings.