Write a Caption For this Photo: Cassowary

Photo: Francisco Martins/CC BY-NC 2.0

Every week we post a funny animal photo that’s begging for a caption. Join in the fun and add your suggestion in the Comments section below. You’ve got til 11:59 pm (Eastern time) on Sunday. On Monday we’ll choose our three favorite captions and list them under the image.

A few fun facts about the cassowary, from the San Diego Zoo:

• The large, flightless bird, found in New Guinea and Australia, is most closely related to the emu.
• It's covered in fluffy, two-quilled black feathers that, protect the bird in its rain forest habitat,  keeping it dry and safe from the sharp-thorned plants.
• All three cassowary species have casques on top of their heads that might be used as a sort of helmet or shock absorber while navigating the rain forest underbrush. It could also work like a hornbill's casque, helping the bird make sounds and communicate through the dense forest. 
• Don't mess with this bird: it's three-toed feet have four-inch daggerlike claws from the inner toe, it can run run 31 miles per hour, jump nearly seven feet straight into the air, and swim with ease.
• The cassowary eats fruit, and many plant species require passage through its digestive system to sprout.

Check out our top choices from all previous weeks. And see more fantastic bird, other wildlife, and nature photos on Audubon magazine's Flickr group, and share your own pictures there.

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