The cassowary might look like an overgrown turkey, but this bird won't end up as Thanksgiving dinner without a fight. With a vicious "karate" kick, this heavyweight can inflict deep wounds on enemies with its sharp claws, and defend itself from attacks by anything from snakes to humans. The cassowary uses the wedge-shaped crest on its head to dig for food and to make its way through the thick vines and branches as it moves through its jungle home.
Heavy Head: This bird has a wide, hollow crest on its head, called a casque, which is made of cartilage and horn. The cassowary uses it to dig for food and as a tool to push away thick vegetation. Some think it helps amplify the bird's call, like the hollow crests some dinosaurs had.
Slash: When cornered, the cassowary attacks with its best weapons- four-inch claws on its inner toes. The bird can charge at enemies at up to 30 mph, and leaps into the air (up to five feet high!) to slash with both feet, making wounds that can kill large enemies.
Be Wary of the Cassowary[]
This is not a giant turkey, but a cassowary emerging from the jungle.
Cassowaries are good at disappearing in the thick jungles of New Guinea and Northern Australia, and they prefer to avoid fights. However, this bird can sometimes have a nasty temper. At five-and-a-half feet tall and weighing in at 130 pounds, this creature is about as big as a human- and it's strong. There have been incidents on New Guinea where a cassowary has, for no known reason, attacked entire villages of people, racing around and fighting any humans it could find. One such attack resulted in the death of two people!
Boomer: If threatened, the cassowary ruffles its feathers and hisses loudly to scare off attackers. The bird's final warning is a low-pitched booming sound that can actually make a person's body vibrate- it has been mistaken for a small earthquake by witnesses.
Munchies: This bird eats mostly fruits, but it does like a bite of meat now and then. The bird can use its pointed beak to snap up insects and frogs, and even kill snakes in the dense forests where it lives.
Doggone Bird[]
- As a family enjoys a picnic in an Australian park, they hear all kinds of strange noises coming from the wilderness. They don't realize that some of the rumbling sounds are coming from an angry cassowary, until it charges from the brush.
- The family's dog immediately goes after the bird to defend its human companion. The cassowary leaps into the air and slashes at the dog with its feet, leaving deep wounds that will take a long time to heal.
Trivia[]
- If based on design, the front shows a Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), while the back shows a picture of a Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti).
- In the Did You Know?' section, Papuan is misspelled as Paupan.
- The cassowary is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 81.
- It is then used in one of the example creatures for Create-A-Monster on Monster Mania 89.