image credit: chatallot, via Flickr
image credit: Katka S., via Flickr
image credit: Alana O’Dowd, via Flickr
image credit: Black Diamond Images, via FlickrHabitat: New Guinea and northeastern Australia
So I went to the zoo today with my sorority for some “sisterhood bonding” which was hard to do when all I was really focused on was checking out all the cool critters! One of the best things I got a chance to see was this flightless bird here: the Southern Cassowary. It honestly looked like some sort of dinosaur-bird hybrid. It’s feet were humongous and the second toe even sports a Velociraptor-esque claw that’s 5 inches long! These cassowaries also have horn-like things on top of their heads, called casques. All in all, very dinosaur-like.
The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest bird in the whole world. Interestingly, even though it sucks at flying it’s a really great runner and swimmer – able to zoom through forests at speeds up to 31 mph and swim across wide rivers and even in the sea!
Great trip Delta Gamma!
