Cassowaries have an excellent feature that is characteristic only of these birds. This is a horn comb on the head. A similar ridge was also found in some species of dinosaurs. In appearance this crest seems very hard, but inside it is soft enough and looks more like a sponge.
Each individual bird has a comb of its size and shape. Exactly so far it is not known what the cassowaries are for this crest. There are several assumptions about this. One of them is to recognize each other during the mating period. Inside the crest consists of a variety of blood vessels and resembles a sponge in structure. Female from the male is practically impossible to distinguish. The reproduction period of cassowaries takes place in August – September. The female mates with a large number of males and lays 2 to 5 huge eggs. Then the female leaves the clutch, and the father comes to sit the eggs.
Approximately, in 50 days there are chicks, in which along the whole body there are longitudinal strips of dark color. After 6 months in young cassowaries the color of the feathering will change to a monochromatic brown, and in the second year of life they will become full-grown birds. The male also takes care of the nestlings.
There are cases when cassowaries enter the territory of people, in their private domains. This can turn into a tragedy for the locals. Often, these birds die on the road, as they often go to the roadway. All this is due to the fact that the habitats of these creatures are destroyed from time to time by natural phenomena, for example, by powerful cyclones. Now in Australia there are about 1500 individuals of cassowaries.
