Latin Name: Casuarius Casuarius
Locality: Northern Australia and New Guinea
The Southern Cassowary shares their ratite family name with Emus. These big birds are found in the tropics of far north Queensland. Cassowaries eat a selection of fruit, which can be foraged from the rainforest, the waste (or poop) from their diet is important for seed dispersal in the rainforest ecosystem.
Fact: That strange structure on the Cassowary’s head is called a casque.