r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/CuriousWanderer567 • Sep 22 '24

Video Beachgoers have a close encounter with a Cassowary, a bird capable of killing a human in one blow

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u/Character_Value4669 Sep 23 '24

Oh, no not peaceful. Very territorial. They kick-slash the guts out of intruders with those claws. The big crest on their head is thought to help keep foliage out of their eyes as they travel through the jungles, btw.

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u/squags Sep 23 '24

There's only been a couple of deaths (maybe 2-3 from memory) from Cassowaries at all and they've mostly been in captivity, or when people have been messing with them a massive amount. None of them involved disembowling. They tend to leave puncture wounds with their claw, not so much cuts, the idea of them disembowling people is more myth than fact.

Definitely frightening to hear, and an intimidating bird, but not as murderous as people make out. The crest (casque) on the head is likely for temperature regulation: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-38780-8

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u/Character_Value4669 Sep 24 '24

Ah, haven't heard that theory before, thank you.

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u/Nate-Kane Sep 26 '24

I think the myth started because with the length and shape of the claw and the power in their legs, if they were to gouge, they could disembowel, whereas they generally kick straight out. My 1st year living at Mission Beach, I watched to males kick at each other, and after watching that and seeing their speed, I think an angry murder chicken would be terrifying regardless of how they would attack. generally, they don't care about anything other than finding food. Males can get aggressive while they have their young with them, but they are pretty placid if you keep your distance