“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)

Dancers Amy Hadley and Bethany Kingsley-Garner from the Scottish Ballet wait backstage during the dress rehearsal of the current production of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Theatre Royal on December 16, 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

Members of the Russian Red Army Choir perform at Water Front Theatre in Beirut September 13, 2014. (Photo by Jamal Saidi/Reuters)

Dan Luvisi reimagines beloved animated characters and turns them into grimy, twisted, hideous personas that may have just scarred us of our fondest memories from childhood forever. Photo: “The Cook”. (Photo by Dan Luvisi)

Sofi Tukker x Amadou & Mariam – Mon Cheri (Official Music Video). “Mon Cheri” continues Red Hot's 30-year mission of fighting HIV/AIDS and supporting humanitarian charities through music, pop culture and global anthems.

Beachgoers pass a snowman made from sand on Christmas Day at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 25, 2023. (Photo by David Gray/AFP Photo)

“The Eton wall game is a game similar to football and Rugby Union, that originated from and is still played at Eton College. It is played on a strip of ground 5 metres wide and 110 metres long next to a slightly curved brick wall, erected in 1717”. – Wikipedia

Photo: The “Collegers” and the “Oppidans” of Eton College take part in the “Wall Game” as boys in their traditional school uniform watch from on top of the wall on November 17, 2007 in Eton, near Windsor, Berkshire, England. The first recorded “Wall Game” took place in 1766 with competition between the two houses at the boarding school remaining as fierce as ever on the annual St. Andrew's day event. The object of the game is to get the ball to either end of the wall and score a goal, which has not happened since 1909. As well as scoring a goal the players can win points with a “shy”, where the ball is held against the wall and touched by the hand and awarded one point. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)