What was that giant crazy bird I saw running laps at the zoo?

Search: la zoo birds

Why: It was just so nuts. It kept jerking around and jumping and running around its little pen. Some douche next to me kept making clicky sounds at it. Every time, the bird reversed directions.

Answer: A Double-Wattled Cassowary! It is the 2nd-largest bird in the world (after the ostrich) at over 5 ft tall and around 130 lbs. It is flightless and lives in Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. It has a large helmet-like casque on its head, which is believed to protect the bird as it runs through dense undergrowth. Cassowaries have 3-clawed toes on each foot. The claw on the middle digit is especially large and sharp, like a dagger, which the bird uses as a weapon by leaping at an enemy feet-first.

Source: LAZoo.org

The More You Know: Cassowaries don't like to be in zoos: