“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)

People carrying red umbrellas march through downtown Skopje, Macedonia, marking the International Day to End Violence against s*x Workers, Thursday, December 17, 2015. A group of s*x workers, supported by members of non-government organizations, rallied Thursday demanding rights for the s*x workers and destigmatization of their profession. The banner reads: The Stigma Kills. (Photo by Boris Grdanoski/AP Photo)

Women in Kimono holding an umbrella walk on a street at Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Yuya Shino/Reuters)

A wolverine is pictured during its first public appearance at the Animal Park of Sainte-Croix in Rhodes, eastern France on January 28, 2016. (Photo by Frederick Florin/AFP Photo)

A glass skywalk in Wanyuan, Sichuan province, built along the side of a cliff, is the highest such skywalk anywhere in China on January 31, 2017. Some visitors have been proven to be terrified by the experience had to brace against the wall in fear. (Photo by Chinanew.com/AsiaWire)

The Villarrica Volcano is seen at night in Chile, April 16, 2016. Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes. Picture taken with long exposure. (Photo by Cristobal Saavedra/Reuters)

The villas of Marabe Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates are home to approximately 2,000 people. Located in one of the hottest regions of the world, the record high temperature here is 49.2C° (120.6F°). (Photo by Benjamin Grant/Penguin Random House)

Hot air balloons take to the skies as they participate in the mass assent at sunrise on the second day of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on August 11, 2017 in Bristol, England. More than 130 balloons have gathered for the four day event, now in its 39th year and now one of Europe's largest annual hot air balloon events, being hosted in the city that is seen by many as the home of modern ballooning. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)