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The Greensboro Science Center is home to two southern cassowaries, Dodo and Moana. The male, Dodo, was born in 2018, and the female, Moana, was born in 2019.
The southern cassowary is closely related to the emu, and distantly to the ostrich. These large, flightless birds are part of a group known as the “ratites.” The ratite group are adapted for walking and running, instead of flying or using their wings to swim (like penguins).
KEEPER NOTES
Both Dodo and Moana love to go in their pools!
Both like bananas and grapes
They are trained to target, scale and shift
Mice!
Tropical forests and wetlands in Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands
Mainly fruit, but will also eat small mammals and reptiles
Height
5 - 6' tall
Weight
up to 63 pounds
40-50 years
50-55 days
Threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as vehicle strikes.
A cassowary can slice open potential predators with a simple swipe from a 4-inch claw on its toe.