The Rakotzbrücke bridge in the autumnal azalea and rhododendron park in Kromlau in the district of Görlitz, Saxony near the state border with Brandenburg on November 7, 2023. More than four million euros have been invested in the restoration and reconstruction of this Lusatian landmark in recent years. The complex includes the listed group of Rakotzbrücke bridges and the so-called organ made of basalt. Friedrich Hermann Rötschke had these built between 1842 and 1875. (Photo by Patrick Pleul/dpa)

A Russian service member stands next to an acquaintance during preparations ahead of the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

A woman uses her smartphone walking past a mural depicting members of Russia's Yunarmiya (Young Army) youth patriotic movement in Moscow on May 14, 2024. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)

A view from the opening night of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Camping World Team Series in New York City, New York, United States on August 9, 2024. New York Mavericks earned an upset win against Kansas City Outlaws during their hometown debut at the Barclays Center. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A white crab spider hides between the petals of a rain spotted rose blossom in the garden of a home near Oakland in southwestern Oregon on August 23, 2024. Crab spiders are ambush predators and wait patiently for their prey to approach. (Photo by Robin Loznak/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra and American actress Jessica Chastain at Kering's 3rd Annual Caring For Women Dinner at The Pool on September 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Nancy Rivera/Splash News and Pictures)

A military band playing during the Immortal Regiment march in Vladivostok, Russia on May 9, 2016. The celebrations marked the 71st anniversary of the defeat of Germany in WWII. (Photo by Yuri Smityuk/TASS/Getty Images)

“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)