“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)

A Chicago Police Officer runs toward gunfire as looters break into downtown stores in the early hours of the morning on August 10, 2020. (Photo by RMV/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A volunteer of District Magistrate (DM) office dressed as Yamraj, or Hindu God of death, stops people for not wearing masks, amidst the spread of the coronavirus(COVID-19) disease, in New Delhi, India, September 28, 2020. (Photo by Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

Transgender drag queen Aunchalee Pokinwuttipob, better known by the stage name, Angele Anang, 26, stands outside The Stranger bar to promote her show, in Silom district, Bangkok, Thailand, September 18, 2020. (Photo by Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters)

Crowds on the beach in Cape Canaveral, Fla., watch the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew Dragon on its Crew-1 mission carrying four astronauts, Sunday, November 15, 2020, in this 3 1/2-minute time exposure. The rocket was launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 7:27 p.m. Sunday evening. (Photo by Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP Photo)

A relative performs rituals for a man who died of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), before his cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, November 19, 2020. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

A CIT guard carries his gun handgun while bringing a bag containing cash inside an armoured vehicle during a money collection in Johannesburg's CBD, on December 8, 2020. As the Christmas festive season approaches, cash-in-transit (CIT) companies are gearing up as they continue to be target of crime, with about 3000 money vans traveling daily nationwide. Despite the COVID-19 lockdown, there have been 260 cash-in-transit heist incidents in South Africa this year, with 19 CIT crew members killed. Cash-in-transit heists in the country are often military-style planned operations with criminals recurring to bomb making and assault rifles attacks. (Photo by Michele Spatari/AFP Photo)

A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump fights with counter protesters during a march in response to various pro-Trump rallies held throughout D.C., in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2020. (Photo by Leah Millis/Reuters)