JAKARTA – The clearing of Indonesia’s last untouched swath of pristine forest has begun in earnest, with an area the size of Washington, D.C., razed for just a single oil palm plantation in Papua province, new data show. Nearly 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) of forest have been cleared in Merauke district since 2014 […]
If you live in Australia, you may not realise how unique and special the birds around you are. Our continent was perhaps the most important for the evolution of modern birds, with a majority of the world’s species tracing their ancestry here. Long ecologically adrift as an island continent, Australia benefited through the evolution of […]
When Nathan Young asked “What’s the difference between an emu and an ostrich?” Weird Animal Question of the Week decided to explore the whole group to which those birds belong, the flightless ratites. As you’ll see, these birds are odd ducks (though there isn’t a duck in the bunch). Big Birds Don’t Fly The ratites […]
Cassowaries are capable of inflicting fatal injuries on animals and humans. Luckily this one is only attacking a tree. Today, the Queensland government announced Australia’s only cassowary rehabilitation centre, which had been earmarked for closure, has been granted interim funding. This article was first published by The Guardian on 11 Aug 2015. […]
Large flightless birds are scattered across all but one of the world’s southern continents. Since Darwin’s era, people have wondered: How are they related? Ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwis can’t fly. Unlike most birds, their flat breastbones lack the keel that anchors the strong pectoral muscles required for flight. Their puny wings can’t possibly […]
If you missed seeing the video post on “Southern Cassowary – Survival Depends on Our Actions” – after Cyclone Larry in 2006 the following video gives you a different insight. Inside Nature’s Giants series, delivers an interesting gaze of the physiological links and special features of this modern bird – The Australian Cassowary.
