Random Most Dangerous Bird On Earth (10 items)

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  (#7) It Weighs As Much As An Adult Woman

  This thing is huge. Like, almost as big as an ostrich. The cassowary can be over six feet tall and weigh over 100 pounds, and run 30 miles per hour. (This is only slightly faster than Usain Bolt, who reached a speed of around 27 miles per hour in 2009.)

  For comparison, a male ostrich weighs, on average, about 250 pounds; the female clocks in around 220. However, they can reach weights of over 300 pounds. Though most ostriches are around six feet tall, the males can grow over nine feet. They can run about 40 miles per hour - only a little faster than the cassowary.

  The difference here, of course, is that the cassowary looks like he wants to kill you. The ostrich does not. 
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  (#9) Please Do Not Feed The Cassowary

  If cassowaries aren't actively seeking out humans, what's the deal with the attacks? 

  Nearly 50% of cassowary attacks are because the cassowary has come to associate people with food. Not people AS food, but with food - as Australians have been feeding the cassowaries for years. The cassowary gets used to being fed, then an unsuspecting person comes into the area without food - before you know it, you've got a hungry and angry cassowary on your hands. 

  The Cassowary Recovery Team even had a PR campaign called "a fed bird is a dead bird." The Australians have been warned repeatedly not to feed the birds. Though the cassoway is naturally shy, feeding it can make the cassowary more bold.
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  (#1) A Cassowary Has Killed A Human At Least Once

  In 1926, a 16-year-old boy died from a cassowary injury to the jugular; though there have been numerous reports of severe injuries since then, his death is the only one confirmed. Though the cassowary definitely has the ability to kill a human, it's important to note that they're not hunting for us.

  It appears that many attacks have been precipitated by the cassowary feeling threatened in some way; perhaps someone comes near its nest, for example. Out of a study of 221 cassowary attacks, nearly half were from the cassowary approaching a person for food - likely because they got used to people feeding them.
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  (#8) Its Entire Body Is Basically A Weapon

  Though their feet may not look deadly on first glance, the cassowary has plenty of weapons in its arsenal.

  A cassowary attack may start with them charging you, or perhaps jumping - because they can jump at least a meter into the air. Now, let's get back to those feet. There's a claw in the middle that can grow a few inches long. A few inches! No wonder most cassowary attacks involve punctures and cuts. If a cassowary has come after you, it's probably a bad idea to lie down or get near to the ground in any way (you know, because of the whole "jumping on you with its claws" thing). There's also a spike on its wing, because why not? 

  The one tip on cassowary attacks, other than simply don't roam around Australia looking for one, is that you shouldn't turn around. Apparently, if you face the cassowary, it may not attack you. 
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  (#4) Turns Out Cassowary Poop Is Pretty Important

  Remember that whole eating poop thing? It turns out cassowary poop is actually important to the Australian ecosystem.

  Cassowaries are the only animals that can distribute seeds of over 70 tree species. Why? The fruits of those trees are too large for other animals to eat. Cassowaries can also eat fruits that would kill another animal because they aren't affected by some toxins. Not only do cassowary droppings themselves distribute seeds, but the fact that other animals eat the seeds helps spread these tree and fruit species even further. They eat at least 238 different types of plants that we know of in the cassowary diet - that's a lot of seeds in cassowary poop.
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  (#6) The Cassowary Has Plenty Of Enemies - And It's Endangered

  You may think that since the cassowary is basically the Bruce Willis of the animal world, that there are plenty of them roaming around New Zealand and Australia. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  The southern cassowary (the largest of the three types of cassowaries) is listed as endangered, mostly due to land clearing. However, being hit by a car is the top cause of cassowary deaths. They can also be killed by dogs and feral pigs. Its biggest enemy, of course, is humans.

  In 2007, the Wet Tropics Management Authority established the Cassowary Recovery Team to try to protect the cassowaries that still exist. 

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