Aussies are known as fearless and hardy people who live in a country with all kinds of poisonous snakes and spiders known to man are scared of a bird, the cassowary.
According to CNN, the cassowary is one of the world’s largest birds, has glossy black feathers, large dagger-like claws, piercing eyes, is as tall as a person, and could weigh up to 140 pounds.
Andrew Mack, who spent five years studying cassowaries in the wild in Papua New Guinea, describes the bird, saying, “There’s just something primaeval about them. They look like living dinosaurs.”
popThe tropical forests of New Guinea, the Moluccas, and northeastern Australia natives are ratites, which means they are flightless as they do not have a keel on their sternum bones.
Despite its fear among Aussies, it is one of the important national symbols. They mostly live alone away from humans in the deep rainforest but are now endangered.
Most human and cassowary encounters happen only on food or either when someone tries to get close to their babies.
Notably, cassowaries are also known for their pivotal role in the ecosystem of the rainforest. As the world’s largest frugivore (fruit-eater), they eat and digest a lot of fruits, and through their poop, help in the spread of seeds throughout the forest.
