A remarkable series of cassowaries is displayed in a showcase in Room 12. These flightless birds inhabit the tropical forests of New Guinea, the Moluccas, Timor, and northeastern Australia. On top of their heads, they have a hollow, horn-like casque, which is thought to serve several functions: amplifying the low-frequency sounds used to communicate in dense forests, acting as a secondary sexual characteristic, and possibly protecting the skull as they move through thick vegetation. Cassowaries stand between 1.5 and 1.8 metres tall and can weigh almost 60 kilograms. Their average lifespan is approximately 40–50 years. Their feet have three toes, the innermost of which bears a strong, almost straight, dagger-like claw that can exceed 12 centimetres in length. The force of their kicks, combined with this formidable weapon, means that a cassowary can potentially kill a human if threatened. The specimens on display were collected between 1873 and 1893 in the Moluccas (Indonesia) and New Guinea by Odoardo Beccari, Luigi Maria D’Albertis, Lamberto Loria, and Antonie Augustus Bruijn, researchers associated with the Genoa Museum who were exploring Indonesia and the Papuan region during that period. The display comprises 11 specimens at various stages of development, together with several eggs, and represents all three extant species: Casuarius casuarius, Casuarius unappendiculatus, and Casuarius bennetti.