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'''Cassowaries''' are three species of large, flightless [[bird]]s of the family Casuariidae, and found on Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, and adjacent islands, and characterized from other [[ratites]] by a bony crest on top of their heads.

'''Cassowaries''' are three species of large, flightless [[bird]]s of the family Casuariidae, and found on Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, and adjacent islands, and characterized from other [[ratite]]s by a bony crest on top of their heads.

==Description==

==Description==

The head and neck are brilliantly colored, mainly blue, but red and yellow are present, depending on the species.  The head is crowned with a ''casque'', a bony growth of keratin up to six inches in height.  To date, no reasonable explanation has been put forward for the presence of the casque, which has been postulated as being a sound resonator, a sexual characteristic, or as an underbrush battering ram; indeed many cassowaries have been recorded showing damage to the casque, suggesting the plausibility of the battering ram theory.  In his research Andrew L. Mack suggests the sound resonator may be correct<ref>http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1642/0004-8038%282003%29120%5B1062%3ALVBCCS%5D2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=tauk</ref>, as the birds have a very low-frequency, booming call - as low as 23 Hz - necessary for communicating with each other in the dense, forested areas in which it is found.

The head and neck are brilliantly colored, mainly blue, but red and yellow are present, depending on the species.  The head is crowned with a ''casque'', a bony growth of keratin up to six inches in height.  To date, no reasonable explanation has been put forward for the presence of the casque, which has been postulated as being a sound resonator, a sexual characteristic, or as an underbrush battering ram; indeed many cassowaries have been recorded showing damage to the casque, suggesting the plausibility of the battering ram theory.  In his research Andrew L. Mack suggests the sound resonator may be correct<ref>http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1642/0004-8038%282003%29120%5B1062%3ALVBCCS%5D2.0.CO%3B2?journalCode=tauk</ref>, as the birds have a very low-frequency, booming call - as low as 23 Hz - necessary for communicating with each other in the dense, forested areas in which it is found.

Cassowaries also have a feature which has arguably made them the most dangerous birds in the world<ref>http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/cassowary-terryfying-bird-earth/10022</ref>.  The powerfully-muscled legs bear three toed feet, with the inner toe bearing a five-inch, nearly-straight, claw.  The claw functions as a defensive weapon, and the bird is known to attack anything it considers a threat<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPVVdg8noc</ref>.  Handouts fed to them by people have led to changes in behavior, increasing aggressiveness, and cited for some 150 direct and indirect attacks against humans<ref>http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=660B325B160D94C269C6A3013555568E.journals?fromPage=online&aid=66857</ref>.  

Cassowaries also have a feature which has arguably made them the most dangerous birds in the world<ref>http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/cassowary-terryfying-bird-earth/10022</ref>.  The powerfully-muscled legs bear three toed feet, with the inner toe bearing a five-inch, nearly-straight claw.  The claw functions as a defensive weapon, and the bird is known to attack anything it considers a threat<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOPVVdg8noc</ref>.  Handouts fed to them by people have led to changes in behavior, increasing aggressiveness, and cited for some 150 direct and indirect attacks against humans<ref>http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=660B325B160D94C269C6A3013555568E.journals?fromPage=online&aid=66857</ref>.  

===Species===

===Species===

*[[Northern cassowary]], ''Casuarius unappendiculatus''

*[[Northern cassowary]], ''Casuarius unappendiculatus''

*[[Southern cassowary]], ''Casuarius casuarius''

*[[Southern cassowary]], ''Casuarius casuarius''

==Diet==

==Diet==

Despite its reputation as a dangerous bird, the cassowary is primarily a fruit eater.  They pluck it from trees or pick up fallen fruit from the forest floor and swallow it whole; apples, plums, wild grapes, nightshade, and myrtle are part of the diet.  When fruit is not available, or when the opportunity presents itself, cassowaries also take insects, small rodents, lizards, fish, and sometimes carrion.

Despite its reputation as a dangerous bird, the cassowary is primarily a fruit eater.  They pluck it from trees or pick up fallen fruit from the forest floor and swallow it whole; apples, plums, wild grapes, nightshade, and myrtle are part of the diet.  When fruit is not available, or when the opportunity presents itself, cassowaries also take insects, small rodents, lizards, fish, and sometimes carrion.

==References==

==References==