So it wasn't going to be long until we discussed something on this blog that is from Australia, When people think of animals from Australia they think of giant arachnids, huge saltwater crocodiles and kangaroos. As cool as those are there is an animal from Australia that does in fact live up to its nickname "murderbirds". The Cassowary is unbelievably cool looking having large crests at the top of their heads and multiple pigments around the face and neck, then jet black for the rest of the body. However the coolest part to these birds are their temperament. Anger. Management.
Have you ever seen the movie Jurassic park? The movie with the unbelievably inaccurate velociraptors? Inaccurate, yes, but an iconic look and design. The cassowary reminds me of them, its feet are packed with huge talons that work well with an extremely powerful kick. There once was a war in Australia between humans and Emus, another flightless bird that looks like a smaller ostrich. I personally think that if cassowarys took the place of the emus, the humans would not have won. However I am just waffling at this point, lets get into this dinosaur.
Murderbirds grow up to about 5 feet tall and weigh up to around 50-60 kilos, they are considered the most dangerous and aggressive species of bird in the world. We are very lucky they can't fly because there would be trouble if they could. But of course they can run 50km/h, swim and can jump its own height, because they're Australian. Now they also live in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, but they do sound like theyr'e specifically Australian.
What if I told you that Cassowaries are slightly related to crocodilians? You'd call me crazy. A bird? Related to a crocodile? Kinda?? The clade Archosauria includes Birds and Crocodillians as the only extant members today. Cassowaries are in the class Palaeognathae which also includes the likes of Ostriches, Emus and Kiwis (All are flightless and look like dinosaurs).
Videos across the internet have shown people taking on cassowaries but not bare-handed, no no no. That is called suicide. Most people in these videos usually run off shortly after approaching and having their wooden "shields" kicked straight through.
The call these birds make is very unique. Cassowaries make a repetitive deep honking sound almost like a hippo and is extremely intimidating.
Anyways this bird is just another animal to add to the Australian watchlist for dangerous and homicidal animals. Approach at your own risk.
Thanks for reading!
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