“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)

“The Independence day”. While on storm chasing expeditions in the Tornado Alley in USA I have encountered many photogenic supercell storms. This photograph was taken while we were approaching the storm near Julesburg, Colorado on My 28th, 2013. The storm was tornado warned for more than one hour, but stayed an LP storm through all its cycles and never produced a tornado, just occasional brief funnels, large hail and some rain. Photo location: Julesburg, Colorado, USA. (Photo and caption by Marko Korošec/National Geographic Photo Contest)

This 1972 VW Beetle was one of over 150 cars at the eighth annual historic U.S Route 40 Mini-Nationals car show held on Sunday at Tecumseh high school. (Photo by Marshall Gorby/AP Photo)

1st Place in Wildlife: A male orangutan peers from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia. (Photo by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan/National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest 2017)

A model walks the runway at the Popluxe Fall 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Studio at Lincoln Center on February 10, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

In this handout image supplied by the Olympic Delivery Authority, workers carryout the installation of artist Monica Bonvicini's “RUN” sculpture in the plaza of the London 2012 Handball Arena at the Olympic Park on January 12, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Olympic Delivery Authority via Getty Images)

Models walks the runway at the Stephan Pelger Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin Spring/Summer 2012 at the Brandenburg Gate on July 9, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMG)

Kate Upton walks the runway at the Beach Bunny Swimwear show during Merecdes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012 at The Raleigh on July 15, 2011 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Beach Bunny)