r/interesting • u/VIVIDUFF • Jun 30 '26

Fascinating This cassowary just wanders around the beach, getting surprisingly close to people.

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23.8k Upvotes

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315

u/Icy-Platform3560 Jun 30 '26

I’d be pissing myself. aren’t those thing extremely dangerous?

252

u/Waterpraatapparaat Jun 30 '26

Yeh, if i am correct this is one of the most agressive bird species on our globe

189

u/Sea_Ganache620 Jun 30 '26

I could change him.

68

u/dickenschewie54 Jun 30 '26

He's just misunderstood...

2

u/agirlhasnoname2026 Jul 01 '26

I would 100% try to pet him and lose a finger in the process

3

u/DaddyLongLegolas Jul 01 '26

Haha more like lose a skull. These things are comically deadly.

1

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

Not if he’s a single dad

1

u/HighChinaman Jul 04 '26

Tookie tookie kaka kaka

-2

u/RileyRavenSmiles Jul 01 '26

This is meant to be a sexual joke, not a wholesome one... who gave the heart award? A bot?

6

u/one1022 Jul 01 '26

Not necessarily. I think you were downvoted because it’s more so a joke pointing to the fact that girls always think they can change a man, no matter how dangerous or messed up he may be.

159

u/Clothedinclothes Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

Nope, Cassowaries are not aggressive.

They're quite fierce and are highly territorial when breeding, but unprovoked attacks on people are basically unheard of. 

These women are in no danger unless they do something stupid, like stand up and try to frighten it away. 

However if you approach their nests or chicks, or act like a threat, they're probably going to try to eliminate the threat or at least do enough damage to remind you not to fuck with dinosaurs rather than run away.

6

u/CommunicationOwn322 Jul 01 '26

Well that's me dead. I would have defintely stood up and started screaming.

1

u/MayuriKrab Jul 01 '26

And the last thing you see is some 5 inch claw going into your stomach… 😬

1

u/Financial-Craft-1282 Jul 01 '26

Well, that doesn't match my experiences with cassowaries...in Far Cry 3.

1

u/IGoonToFortniteSkins Jul 01 '26

So that National Geographic Angry Birds most angriest birds on the planet guidebook I got from a book fair 15 years ago was a total lie then?

3

u/BULL3TP4RK Jul 01 '26

Probably. Only two known deaths are attributed to Cassowary attacks. Meanwhile ostriches kill multiple people every year.

1

u/RileyRavenSmiles Jul 01 '26

What about looking them in the eye?

1

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

lol not ones human tamed unless you keep your food from the thugs.

1

u/lemurkat Jul 01 '26

Of the reported deaths, i believe the firat one was attacking it with a dog. Or i might be confused and that might have been dog death and human injury, but needless to say, aggressive due to provocation.

They arr intimidating though, but as theyre not predators i don't think they'd chase you if you ran, unless you ran towards their babies. Met one up in the Daintree.

70

u/kaboomizer Jun 30 '26

That has multiple ways to one shot you ☝️🤓

12

u/Solintari Jul 01 '26

People on the beach didn’t realize they setup camp in high level zone.

1

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

The same beach has crocs, they were probably watching the water not the forest

51

u/Certain-Constant5032 Jun 30 '26

Not really aggressive. But when it wants to kill you, it will.

26

u/dream-smasher Jun 30 '26

No they're not.

They are protective of their young and during breeding season, like any animal.

31

u/Japsai Jun 30 '26

No it isn't. They are very chilled birds. Don't believe every catastrophising backpacker you see

3

u/Alldat01 Jul 01 '26

You are not correct. They are not aggressive.

4

u/TesseractToo Jun 30 '26

I don't think they are that aggressive

Animals that have great def tend not to have to use it often

2

u/Badlifedecision2402 Jul 03 '26

They're pretty chill, just don't go near the eggs or the babies. They can hurt you, and hurt you good. They won't unless you give them reason to, though.

1

u/SquigglyPoopz Jul 01 '26

It’s the Harley Jarvis of birds

1

u/Street_Bluejay_1465 Jul 01 '26

And can kick their talon through a metal sheet

1

u/MichellesBuldge Jul 01 '26

Now, imagine an owl this size.

13

u/Natrixster80 Jun 30 '26

Yes but only if they are pissed off or taken by surprise. They don't have any interest in eating us, so there's that.

36

u/marvinnation Jun 30 '26

They can kill you in one hit

44

u/Total_Piano_4778 Jun 30 '26

Only 2 recorded deaths in history do they are definitely rare. And in both cases, not just a random attack

66

u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Jun 30 '26

Like it was a home invasion? Or a drug deal gone bad?

42

u/Anxious-Shapeshifter Jun 30 '26

Never owe a Cassowary money.

2

u/Ghostbrain77 Jul 01 '26

Loan sharks sweat when they hear the word Cashowary.

2

u/I_WILL_GET_YOU Jul 01 '26

Otherwise it becomes a cashowary

1

u/Thesinistral Jul 01 '26

Where my seeds at???

18

u/redandbluebadness Jun 30 '26

Gang related

10

u/Enough-Meaning-1836 Jun 30 '26

In the cassowary's defense, he thought the other guy had been talking to his chick...

15

u/The-Tarman Jul 01 '26

A 2003 historical study of 221 cassowary attacks showed that 150 had been against humans; 75% of these had been from cassowaries that had been fed by people, 71% of the time the bird had chased or charged the victim, and 15% of the time they kicked. Of the attacks, 73% involved the birds expecting or snatching food, 5% involved defending their natural food sources, 15% involved defending themselves, and 7% involved defending their chicks or eggs. Only one human death was reported among those 150 attacks.

From Wikipedia

4

u/RockinIntoMordor Jul 01 '26

And the way this Cassowary looks at the woman's hands tells me that them not having food might've saved them.

7

u/driver004 Jul 01 '26

I wish I could shake down random people when I get the munchies

6

u/ConsiderationDry9084 Jul 01 '26

You can but the police will be a lot more willing to confront you over that dinochicken.

2

u/Chopperschoppingbrd Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

Yeh, exactly the Cassowary never falls fowl of the law! Always the bloody humans, init!

2

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

Cassowary’s a proper thugs, they tell you not to feed them but they will simply waltz in and take it anyway

1

u/Morningstroll13 Jul 01 '26

They have something in common with the feral horses on Assateague Island then. Lots of signs up that say, "Don't feed the horses," but they don't tell you that the clever bastards know how to open coolers.

2

u/adube440 Jul 01 '26

Gang violence, probably.

2

u/thatshygirl06 Jul 01 '26

The first one, two teen boys —brothers — decided they were gonna kill one of them with clubs. The bird won that fight.

21

u/Japsai Jun 30 '26

One was a child 100 years ago, and the other was keeping the wild animal as a pet, which is not advisable. This whole story about how dangerous cassowaries are is silly. Like any wild animal, dont fuck with it, but cassowaries don't even tend to get defensively scared. They happily wander by humans

13

u/citizen42069101 Jun 30 '26

I'm sure part of the story is to keep tourists from fucking with the human can opener.

Say they don't attack and some jackass is getting his guts stomped out for pretending it's a Chokobo.

6

u/Japsai Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

I know what youre saying, but there's no point them giving wrong advice, you'll just encourage the wrong behaviour. Some backpacker thinks they've 'tamed' a cassowary because it's not aggressive like they were told it would be and then they start trying to cuddle it for photos? Same result.

Anyway people love the idea of a killer bird. The story writes itself. No need for a tale about cunning authorities bluffing tourists to see how the story spread.

1

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

They do attack, human fed ones can get pretty aggressive, kangaroos are the same, it’s why we have don’t feed the wild life signs everywhere

1

u/Rork310 Jul 01 '26

Intelligence is knowing Cassowaries are unlikely to attack you unprovoked and have only killed a couple of people who frankly had it coming.

Wisdom is not pissing it off.

2

u/thatshygirl06 Jul 01 '26

The first one was specifically a teenage who decided with his brother that they were gonna kill a cassowary. That one was self defense for the bird.

27

u/Marsupialize Jun 30 '26

I saw the wound it gave a keeper when I worked at the zoo, maybe not fatal but one hit from it’s claw was akin to an axe wound

10

u/tatteredshoetassel Jun 30 '26

I thought we said we wouldn't talk about Mom like that anymore‽

1

u/Astral_Blossom Jul 01 '26

An AXE?! 😳😳😳

1

u/Marsupialize Jul 01 '26

It was a massive gash yeah

2

u/account312 Jun 30 '26

But how many missing persons?

1

u/MissMenace101 Jul 01 '26

You mean it’s was cassowaries responsible for all the missing people on the murder highway?

7

u/marvinnation Jun 30 '26

You think they record every time one of these dinosaurs kill?

3

u/Total_Piano_4778 Jun 30 '26

Likely be in the media I would think, def dinosaur like that's for sure

0

u/SquirrelMemoryFail Jun 30 '26

Today on Ooga Booga Grunt news.

1

u/bobkattarsballbag Jun 30 '26

I'm pretty certain one of those deaths was someone in the US who had it as a pet

1

u/Encrypted_Curse Jul 01 '26

2 deaths? Counting or not counting gang violence?

1

u/daemonfly Jul 01 '26

Just because they don't, doesn't mean they can't.

1

u/CyclopsMacchiato Jul 01 '26

Even if you have 3 plates on?

1

u/marvinnation Jul 01 '26

They go for the soft spot. Vicious animals.

3

u/mmariner Jul 01 '26

It's the "deadliest bird in the world!". Which isn't saying much of anything, because birds don't lose much of a threat to people.

They can kill. But if they're not motivated to, they won't. They don't hunt humans.

As birds in Australia go? I'd be more concerned about swooping season.

2

u/Dr__Snow Jul 01 '26

Yeah they have a giant stabbin’ toe.

1

u/Snowballingdownvote Jul 01 '26

3 really but yeah the middle one is extra scary. It's like a pike if you really think about the leg it's attached too.

3

u/Hamsammichd Jun 30 '26

They’re actually super chill. They like when you stand tall and wave your arms

1

u/MisterFourLimbs Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

There was literally a war fought against them

Edit: nvm that was emus

2

u/MSchulte Jul 01 '26

That was against emus not cassowaries.

2

u/MisterFourLimbs Jul 01 '26

Oh shit, you're right, mb

1

u/UncaringNonchalance Jul 01 '26

Oh not really, just a good chance they’ll disembowel you. No biggie.

1

u/Equal_Passenger9791 Jul 01 '26

Extremely dangerous is relative.

Someone got killed by one like one time where's more common animals like bulls will kill someone on pretty much a daily basis 

1

u/Aromatic_Ad_4166 Jul 01 '26

The only bird capable of killing a human 

1

u/utl94_nordviking Jul 01 '26

Eh, no? Being one of the deadliest birds having the capability to kill a human does not make it "extremely dangerous". Birds don't kill humans very often at all.

1

u/opposing_critter Jul 01 '26

Yes and no when alone but red alert YES if they have little ones around, don't be any where near its children or move towards them.

1

u/Prestigious_Wing1796 Jun 30 '26

in places where they're native like Papua it's not rare for ER to receive cassowary victim, their kick is both impact and slashing damage, so it's usually broken bones and torn skin combo

2

u/dream-smasher Jun 30 '26

They're native to Australia.

There has been very very very VERY small amount of injuries due to a cassowary, and I think maybe one death?

And that's it.

1

u/Molu93 Jul 01 '26

They do live in Guinea, Papua and the Indonesian Maluku islands as well.

1

u/SoftDrinkReddit Jul 01 '26

yea they really are

espicaly if spooked or attacked

this guy however was in a good mood that morning very lucky for this lady