The bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
cassowary
Cassowaries (; Biak: ''man suar'' ; ; Papuan: ''kasu weri'' ) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'', in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites, flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones. Cassowaries a ...
and the
emu
The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
.
All living members of the family are very large
flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds that cannot Bird flight, fly, as they have, through evolution, lost the ability to. There are over 60 extant species, including the well-known ratites (ostriches, emus, cassowary, cassowaries, Rhea (bird), rheas, an ...
s native to
Australia-New Guinea.
[Clements, J (2007)]
Species
*† ''
Emuarius''
Boles, 1992 (emuwaries) (Late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
– Late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
)
**† ''
E. gidju''
(Patterson & Rich 1987) Boles, 1992
**† ''
E. guljaruba''
Boles, 2001
*''
Casuarius''
Brisson, 1760 (cassowary)
**† ''
C. lydekkeri''
Rothschild, 1911 (Pygmy cassowary)
** ''
C. casuarius''
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Southern cassowary)
** ''
C. unappendiculatus''
Blyth, 1860 (Northern cassowary)
** ''
C. bennetti''
Gould, 1857 (Dwarf Cassowary)
*** ''
C. b. westermanni''
(Sclater, 1874) (Papuan dwarf cassowary)
*** ''
C. b. bennetti''
Gould, 1857 (Bennett's cassowary)
* ''
Dromaius
''Dromaius'' (from greek language, greek δρομαίυς "runner") is a genus of ratite present in Australia. There is one extant species, ''Dromaius novaehollandiae,'' commonly known as the emu.
In his original 1816 description of the emu, Lou ...
''
Vieillot, 1816 (emu)
** †''
D. arleyekweke''
Yates & Worthy 2019
** †''
D. ocypus''
Miller 1963
** ''
D. novaehollandiae''
(Latham, 1790) (Emu)
*** †''
D. n. diemenensis''
Le Souef, 1907 (Tasmanian emu)
*** †''
D. n. minor''
Spencer, 1906 (King Island emu)
*** †''
D. n. baudinianus''
Parker, SA, 1984 (Kangaroo Island emu)
*** ''
D. n. novaehollandiae''
(Latham, 1790) (Emu)
Systematics and evolution
The fossil record of casuariforms is interesting, but not very extensive.
Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
, ''Emuarius'',
[
From "Emu" + "''Casuarius''". Describer W. E. Boles commonly refers to the genus as "emuwaries" or "cassomus".]
which had a cassowary-like skull and
femur
The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.
The Femo ...
and an emu-like lower leg and foot.
Footnotes
References
*Boles, Walter E. (2001): A new emu (Dromaiinae) from the Late Oligocene Etadunna Formation. ''
Emu
The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
'' 101: 317–321
HTML abstract*
*
*Folch, A. (1992). Family Casuariidae (Cassowaries). pp. 90– 97 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'', Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q756871
Bird families
Ratites
Flightless birds
Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup