Cassowary
Cassowary Life Cycle
The life span of the Cassowary living in captivity can reach 20 to 40 years.
Reproduction happens during the months of June through October when the food supply is at its greatest and the chicks have the best chance of survival. A mating pair remain together for several weeks and the female will eventually lay 3-5 light green eggs in a nest that the male has made. Once eggs are laid, the female leaves the male in search of another mate.
Incubation is taken care of by the male for about 50 days. Brown, striped chicks hatch which stay with the father for usually 9 months. Over the next two years, they continue to mature with developing head casques, plumage which transforms from light brown to black, and they develop wattles. Cassowaries can reproduce once they are 3 years old.
Habitat
Tropical rainforests on New Guinea and Northeastern Australia are where you will find the Cassowary. Their habitat in these areas range from lowlands and swampy forests to mountainous regions. They do very well in water, are excellent swimmers, and can be found along river banks.
Diet
The majority of their food is found on the floor of the rainforest where it has fallen from trees. Fruits, small vertebrates, fungi, and insects round out their diet. Cassowaries have been discovered to be important dispersers of many species of rainforest plants. Many of the seeds and fruits the cassowary eats are passed nearly intact through the digestive tract. The Cassowary can weigh as much as 120 to 140 lbs.
Cassowary Unique Facts
This bird is considered to be the most dangerous of birds. Its ancestors include the Raptor dinosaur which was known for its “killing claw”, a large claw that could be unsheathed and prove lethal in battle.
A flightless bird, its feathers have adapted for use on land by being thicker and more protective as opposed to lightness for flight.
Because of being on land, the Cassowary has adapted to water, swims well and is found among riverbanks as well as the swamp lands. The Cassowary is known for land speed and agility as well; it can run up to 30 mph and jump upwards of 5 feet.
The life span of the Cassowary living in captivity can reach 20 to 40 years.
Reproduction happens during the months of June through October when the food supply is at its greatest and the chicks have the best chance of survival. A mating pair remain together for several weeks and the female will eventually lay 3-5 light green eggs in a nest that the male has made. Once eggs are laid, the female leaves the male in search of another mate.
Incubation is taken care of by the male for about 50 days. Brown, striped chicks hatch which stay with the father for usually 9 months. Over the next two years, they continue to mature with developing head casques, plumage which transforms from light brown to black, and they develop wattles. Cassowaries can reproduce once they are 3 years old.
Habitat
Tropical rainforests on New Guinea and Northeastern Australia are where you will find the Cassowary. Their habitat in these areas range from lowlands and swampy forests to mountainous regions. They do very well in water, are excellent swimmers, and can be found along river banks.
Diet
The majority of their food is found on the floor of the rainforest where it has fallen from trees. Fruits, small vertebrates, fungi, and insects round out their diet. Cassowaries have been discovered to be important dispersers of many species of rainforest plants. Many of the seeds and fruits the cassowary eats are passed nearly intact through the digestive tract. The Cassowary can weigh as much as 120 to 140 lbs.
Cassowary Unique Facts
- This bird is considered the most dangerous bird
- Has adapted into an excellent swimmer
- They are fast runners, up to 30 MPH
- Can weigh as much as 120 to 140 lbs.
- Is a flightless bird
- Can jump as high as 5 feet
- Considered an important disperser of many species of rain forest plants
This bird is considered to be the most dangerous of birds. Its ancestors include the Raptor dinosaur which was known for its “killing claw”, a large claw that could be unsheathed and prove lethal in battle.
A flightless bird, its feathers have adapted for use on land by being thicker and more protective as opposed to lightness for flight.
Because of being on land, the Cassowary has adapted to water, swims well and is found among riverbanks as well as the swamp lands. The Cassowary is known for land speed and agility as well; it can run up to 30 mph and jump upwards of 5 feet.