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Moreover, not only is the cassowary Asia's largest bird, within New Guinea, the cassowary is the island's second largest terrestrial animal after the introduction of Cervidaes such as the rusa deer, chital, and fallow deer. [25] All cassowaries' feathers consist of a shaft and loose barbules. They do not have rectrices (tail feathers) or a ...
The Casuariiformes / k æ sj uː ˈ æ r i. ɪ f ɔːr m iː z / is an order of large flightless birds that has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary, and the only remaining species of emu.
The southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary, or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless black bird, found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. It is one of the three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf cassowary and the northern cassowary.
In New Guinea, cassowary eggs are brought back to villages and the chicks raised for eating as a much-prized delicacy, despite (or perhaps because of) the risk they pose to life and limb. They reach up to 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) tall and weigh as much as 85 kilograms (187 lb) [ 18 ]
The northern cassowary and the emu share homologous features. For example, both have a blue patch of colour on their face/neck, but the functions of these differ. The emu's patch is of a paler colour and is used as a form of camouflage where it is located. The northern cassowary's patch of blue is brighter, and is used for attracting mates.
The fossil record of casuariforms is interesting, but not very extensive. Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct genus, Emuarius, [3] which had a cassowary-like skull and femur and an emu-like lower leg and foot.
Dwarf cassowary in Lae, New Guinea. The scientific name commemorates the Australian naturalist George Bennett. [4] He was the first scientist to examine these birds after a few were brought to Australia aboard a ship. Recognising them as a new species of cassowary, he sent specimens back to England, where other taxonomists confirmed his perception.
Pygmy cassowary, Casuarius lydekkeri † Dwarf cassowary, Casuarius bennetti. Bennett's cassowary, Casuarius bennetti bennetti; Papuan dwarf cassowary, Casuarius bennetti westermanni; Southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius; Northern cassowary, Casuarius unappendiculatus