Cassowaries are found in Northern Australia, New Guinea, Ceram and Aru Island. Their habitat is dense forests. They can weigh up to 165 lbs. and grow to be 5 ft tall at top of the head. Their diet consists mainly of fruit of forest trees, some small vertebrates and land snails. There are three species of cassowary – the Bennets and the northern cassowary, both of New Guinea, and the southern cassowary (a.k.a. double-wattled cassowary) of New Guinea and northern Australia. The double-wattled cassowary is the largest of the three. Females are often bigger than males, have a taller casque and brighter and more developed neck clusters.
The ostrich, rheas, emu and cassowaries, as well as the kiwis, constitute a loosely related group called ratite (non-keeled sternum). Ratites are flightless with mere vestiges of wings. Excepting the elusive and nocturnal kiwi, the first line of defense among the ratites is to depend upon foot speed (up to 30 mph) to carry them free of harm’s way. What they can not outrun, they can often outfight. A kick is capable of delivering a crushing blow, none more so than that delivered by a cassowary, a bird to which more human fatalities have been attributed than to any other. The inner of the three toes of each of the cassowary’s feet bears a long, dagger-like claw. Cassowaries are among the shortest – tempered of birds and will go on the defensive with very little provocation. The adult’s coarse plumage serves well in damp jungle undergrowth. The exposed neck bears grape-like clusters which may play a social role. The casque may serve as a crash helmet for barging through thick, tangled vegetation and/or as a spade in the search for buried food.
Though groups of adults are encountered, these birds tend to live separately, a pair associating only during the breeding season. Encounters are likely to result in serious, and not infrequently, fatal fights. In cross gender conflicts, it is often the smaller male that gets the worst of the exchange. A mated female will lay 3-6 dark green eggs in a shallow scrape. She leaves the male to incubate for the required 49-56 days, and leaves to find a new mate. An active female cassowary can leave 3-4 males on separate nests, having no part in the rearing of young.
Cassowary chicks are beige with darker striping which serves as an effective camouflage against the backdrop of the forest floor. The father cassowary watches after the brood for up to 18 months. Sexual maturity is reached during the third year. Longevity is estimated to be 18-20 years in the wild, though some in human care have attained the age of forty years. Although their status is stable in the wild, the Cassowary is under threat from hunting and deforestation of their dense wooded habitat.
Kasowari hupatikana kaskazini mwa Australia, New Guinea, Ceram na Kisiwa cha Aru. Makao yao ni misitu mirefu. Wanaweza kupima hadi 165 lbs. Na kukua hadi urefu wa mita tano juu ya kichwa. Chakula chao hasa ni matunda ya miti ya msituni, baadhi ya wanyama wadogo wenye uti wa mgongo na konokono wa nchi kavu. Kuna spishi tatu za cassowary <unk> Bennets na cassowary ya kaskazini, zote mbili za New Guinea, na cassowary ya kusini (a.k.a. kasowari mwenye manyoya mawili) wa New Guinea na kaskazini mwa Australia. Mnyama huyo ndiye mkubwa zaidi kati ya hao watatu. Mara nyingi wanawake ni wakubwa kuliko wanaume, wana kifuniko kirefu zaidi na makundi ya shingo yenye kung'aa na yaliyoendelea zaidi. Nyigu, reas, emu na cassowaries, pamoja na kiwis, hufanyiza kikundi cha jamaa wa kawaida kinachoitwa ratite (sternum isiyo na kielele). Ndege wa aina ya ratite hawawezi kuruka na wana mabawa machache tu. Isipokuwa kiwi, mnyama wa usiku, mstari wa kwanza wa ulinzi kati ya ndege wa aina ya ratite ni kutegemea mwendo wa miguu (hadi 30 mph) ili kuwahamisha bila madhara. Mara nyingi wao huweza kupambana na mambo ambayo hawawezi kuepuka. "Kikapu kina uwezo wa kutoa pigo kubwa sana, kama vile lile linalotolewa na kasowari, ndege ambaye ameua watu wengi kuliko ndege mwingine yeyote.""" Sehemu ya ndani ya vidole vitatu vya kila mguu wa kasowari ina kiganja kirefu kinachofanana na kisu. Kasowari ni miongoni mwa ndege wenye kimo cha chini zaidi na watakuwa na mwelekeo wa kujilinda bila kushawishiwa sana. Manyoya ya mtu mzima ni makali sana katika misitu yenye unyevunyevu. Shingo iliyo wazi ina makundi yanayofanana na zabibu ambayo yanaweza kuwa na fungu la kijamii. Casque inaweza kutumika kama kofia ya chuma kwa barging kupitia mwamba, tangled mimea na au kama shaba katika utafutaji wa chakula kuzikwa. Ingawa makundi ya ndege wazima hukutana nao, ndege hao huishi kando-kando, na wanandoa hao huungana tu wakati wa majira ya kuzaliana. Huenda mapigano hayo yakawa mazito, na mara nyingi yanakuwa yenye kuua. Katika migogoro ya jinsia mbalimbali, mara nyingi ni mwanamume mdogo zaidi anayepatwa na mabaya zaidi. Mwanamke aliyeoa hutaga mayai 3-6 ya rangi ya kijani-kibichi katika eneo lisilo na kina kirefu. Mnyama huyo huchukua muda wa siku 49-56 na kumwachilia mume wake. Mnyama wa aina ya cassowary anaweza kuwa na wanaume watatu au wanne katika viota vyake, lakini hawawezi kuwakilisha watoto wao. Vijana wa kasowari ni wa rangi ya manjano na wenye mistari nyeusi ambayo hutumika kama kujificha kwa ufanisi dhidi ya mandhari ya ardhi ya msitu. Baba huyo wa kasowari huwatunza watoto wake kwa miezi 18 hivi. Ukomavu wa kingono hufikia katika mwaka wa tatu. Wanasema kwamba wanaweza kuishi kwa miaka 18-20 katika mazingira ya asili, ingawa baadhi yao huishi hadi miaka 40. Ingawa hali yao ni thabiti katika mazingira ya porini, kasowari wanakabili tisho la kuwindwa na ukataji-miti katika makao yao yenye miti mingi.