A panda bear sits on a logs in a zoo on January 15, 2015 in Hangzhou, China. (Photo by Feature China/Barcroft Media)

“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 girl clings to her mother as they travel on a flooded street amid heavy rainfall in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, July 24, 2015. Approximately a million people have been affected by severe downpours in several Chinese provinces, causing collapsed houses, decimating crops as well as blocking highways, reported Xinhua News Agency. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

South Korean students pose for a selfie following a traditional coming-of-age ceremony at Namsan hanok village in Seoul on May 15, 2017. The Coming of Age Day is the day to celebrate and encourage the youth who have reached the age of 20, which is considered the beginning of adulthood. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

Flames from the County fire burn above Cache Creek Casino Resort on Saturday, June 30, 2018, in Capay, Calif. (Photo by Noah Berger/AP Photo)

A Naga sadhu, or naked Hindu holy man, performs a ritual inside his tent during Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher festival, at Trimbakeshwar, India, Friday, August 28, 2015. Hindus believe taking a dip in the waters of a holy river during the festival will cleanse them of their sins. The festival is held four times every 12 years. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)

A street cleaner demonstrates his martial arts skills in front of a closed shop near Beijing's Tiananmen Square September 2, 2015 as the capital prepares for tomorrow's parade. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

Pоrn actresses take a break at the Venus erotic fair in Berlin, Germany, October 15, 2015. The event, which represents the erotic business in the German capital, is open till October 18, 2015. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)