Daintree Southern Cassowary

Years 3 and 4 have been learning about the Daintree Rainforest in North-East Australia. 

The Cassowary is a large flightless bird found in Papua New Guinea, while the Southern cassowary is found in the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland. The cassowary is a keystone species as it plays a vital role in maintaining the rainforest. Without the cassowary, many plant species may die and the rainforest will cease to exist. The cassowary lives in a mutually beneficial relationship with the trees. It eats its fruit and seeds whole and disperses them through excretions as it moves through the rainforest. Some of these seeds might not otherwise be able to reach these varied locations. 

There are about 2000 cassowaries left and their existence is threatened by wild pigs, which eat their chicks and eggs.

Here are some examples of our sketches of the cassowary.