Poultry Day...
I guess I could talk about chickens...
but that leads me
to think about caged hens
and the smell...
what about geese?
Too scary?
Ducks, now they
are actually kind of cute...
Turkeys?
I can’t believe how
huge they can be!
I want to go even bigger...
emu, ostrich?
Maybe the cassowary...
Did you know...
Cassowaries have been around
longer than most
other birds on earth.
They live on rainforest fruits.
They have a bony looking
chunky thing sticking out
of the top of their head.
A more technical name
for this is the casque
and it is actually made
from stuff very similar
to Styrofoam.
The casque can be squeezed
at the sides, but is
tough from the top.
When the cassowary runs
through the forest,
it lowers it’s head.
The casque brushes aside
the hanging vines and bushes
– now that’s clever.
The brilliant blue and red
colouring around the neck
can intensify, depending
on the mood of the cassowary!
The cassowary’s foot
can be 18 centimetres long.
They have three forward-facing toes
and the middle one
can be 12 centimetres long.
Their inside toes have claws
that can be 8 centimetres long...
imagine that ripping
through your guts!
A fighting cassowary roars
(hear that? RUN!)
and then they leap
into the air
and start using
those toes and claws!
Once eggs are laid,
the female heads off
into the forest and
the male takes care
of the nest and eggs.
They rarely leave the nest
for 50 days and then care
for the chicks for another
9 or so months.
At 1.5 metres tall,
the cassowary is no small bird!
While males only weigh
35 kilograms,
a 60 kilogram female
would sure pack a
good punch kick.
Happy Poultry Day,
cassowaries everywhere!
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