Watch the Animal Known as a “Murderbird” Chase a Girl On a Beach Trying to Eat the Camera!

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This startling close encounter on a beach has already been viewed more than three million times and it’s easy to see why. A large murder bird surprises a young girl by emerging from the trees and taking a great interest in her and her camera. As she backs away, she is followed by the bird who fails to be distracted by another man who is further up the beach.

What Are Cassowary?

The video notes say that this bird is a cassowary but locals call it the ‘murderbird’. Cassowary are large and long-legged flightless birds that live in Australia and surrounding areas. They belong to the Casuarius genus but there are actually three species of cassowary.

The Southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is the largest and lives in southern New Guinea, Australia’s northeastern regions, and the lowlands of the Aru Islands. The Northern cassowary lives in northern New Guinea’s coastal swamplands and lowland rainforests as well as the surrounding islands. The dwarf cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) is the smallest and lives in New Guinea, Yapen Island, and New Britain at higher elevations.

These guys are closely related to emus.

How Large Does a Cassowary Get?

The largest cassowaries can reach heights of up to six feet and weigh around 160 pounds. Despite their inability to fly, these sizable birds utilize their immensely powerful legs to achieve impressive speeds. Additionally, they are fantastic swimmers and can navigate both land and water with remarkable agility.

Cassowaries’ sizes are basically unmatchable among bird species. The southern and northern cassowary species, notably the female ones, reach up to 5 feet 9 inches and weigh around 128 pounds. In contrast, the dwarf cassowary, dwelling inland, maxes out at about 57 pounds.

How Does Cassowary Normally Behave?

This cassowary was clearly fascinated by the human visitors to the beach and by their camera. But is this typical behavior for this amazing bird?

There is no point in trying to run away from a cassowary. These guys can run at 31 mph and can jump seven feet in the air! They are also large birds equipped with sharp talons so they could cause a nasty injury if they decided to attack a human.

Having said that they are normally quiet birds who live a solitary life. They will attack humans if they feel that their chicks or their eggs are under threat. Or if they perceive that the human approaching them is a threat. Some individuals have also learned that humans have food. This means that they launch themselves at the human hoping to bag a meal!

In rare cases, cassowaries have been responsible for human deaths. Experts have named them as the most dangerous birds on the planet!