face-to-face with a cassowary. T is giant bird lives by itself in the rain forests of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Uh-oh, it just spotted you! It glares at you. Brace yourself for what comes next. T is
Y
bird doesn’t fl y away. In fact, it can’t fl y. Instead, the cassowary bobs its horned head down. It’s ready to charge right at you. Watch out! It can run through the rain forest at speeds up to 48 kilometers (30 miles) per hour. T at’s as fast as a racehorse. T e cassowary’s head is not its weapon,
though. Beware of its feet and their dagger-like claws! One kick can injure or even kill a person. T e sound the cassowary makes is almost
as scary as its looks. It makes a low, booming rumble. T e sound travels through its casque, a crest on its head that looks like a horn. T e sound is so loud, you can hear it from far away in the dense forest. Maybe that’s a good thing! T e warning can help you avoid running into this weird and wonderful bird.
Back Off T e cassowary’s terrifying call and its casque are adaptations. T ese behaviors and body parts can help an animal survive in its wild world. T is bird may look and act strangely, but you’ll think twice about coming near it. So will many predators. T is odd bird isn’t the only weird animal. Check out the aye-aye. T is lemur is small enough to hold in your hand. It has round, hypnotic eyes. Its ears are large and shaped like spoons. T is is one animal that has a bad hair day every day. Wiry tuſt s of black and white fur stick up from its head. T e rest of it is odd, too. T is little lemur has long skinny fi ngers and a bushy tail that’s longer than its body.
ou know you’re in trouble if you ever come
Looking for Lunch T e aye-aye lives on Madagascar, where it
spends its life in the trees. It likes to munch on grubs, newly-hatched insects that look like worms. Grubs live in tree trunks. T e aye-aye has a special way to search for prey. Its sharp teeth and unusually long middle
fi nger make the aye-aye a perfect grub hunter. First, the aye-aye taps on a tree, listening for echoes. An echo means there is a hollow space inside. T at’s a great place to fi nd grubs. Aſt er thumping on a hollow spot, the aye-aye gnaws into the wood. Using its fi nger, it grabs the grubs and gobbles them.
A stare from this cassowary might stop you in your tracks!
4
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24