About the Project

The ZooTrophy Animal-a-Day project began on October 15th, 2013 as illustrator Angela "LemurKat" Oliver began working her way, systematically but selectively, through the alphabet and presenting, via social media, an illustrated animal to the world. Daily.

All pieces are drawn as 2.5 x 3.5 inch collectible cards, using a combination of polychromos and prismacolor pencils, along with other art materials. Many are still available for purchase ($10) or trade, so drop her an email if anything captures your eye or if there is an animal you wish to request.

It is predicted this project will take her at least two years to complete - with approximately 36 animals being drawn for each letter. She has also used the images to create a collectible hardback encyclopedia series, playing cards and a desk calendar, as well as the ZooTrophy collectible trading card game.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Creature Feature #85: Cassowary


The large, flightless Southern Cassowary makes her home in the rainforests of Northern Queensland, with her cousins, the Northern and Dwarf species, being found in New Guinea and surrounding islands. Although shorter than the emu, her build is stockier and she weighs about the same. She follows an omnivorous diet with a preference for fruit. Relatively shy in nature, she can be extremely dangerous if provoked: her middle claw measures 12 cm and she can deliver a powerful kick. Rumour has it that she can disembowl a dog with one blow. Most reported Cassowary attacks on people, however, consist of the bird chasing the human, and occured in instances where she was expecting to receive food (kids, don't feed cassowaries - it's bad for them and for you), or had been provoked.

The one recorded human fatality, in 1926, was the result of two boys trying to beat a Cassowary to death with clubs. One of the boys was mauled and later died.

However, I can report that it is very intimidating to be stalked by a bird almost as tall as you are, having been followed by one in the Daintree, Northern Queensland, as I went to fetch insect repellant from our car. I believe he was curious more than anything, but when you look into those bright round eyes behind that long beak, it is very, very easy to believe that birds evolved from the dinosaurs.

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