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Species
Casuarius casuarius Linnaeus, 1758
Nomenclature
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Family: CasuariidaeGenus: Casuarius
Media
SUMMARY
Southern Cassowary
Other common names: Double wattled/Two wattled/Australian Cassowary
It has hard and stiff plumage, a brown casque, blue face and neck, red nape and two red wattles hanging down its throat. The three-toed feet are thick and powerful, equipped with a lethal dagger-like claw up to 12 cm on the inner toe. The plumage is sexually monomorphic, but the female is dominant and larger with a longer casque and brighter-colored bare parts. The immature bird has plain brown plumage. It is the largest member of the cassowary family and is the second heaviest bird on earth, at a maximum size estimated at 85 kilograms and 190 centimetres. Normally this species ranges from 127 to 170 centimetres, with females averaging 58 kilograms and males averaging 29 to 34 kilograms.