A pygmy cassowary (Casuarius lydekkeri) from late Pleistocene bog deposits at Pureni, Papua New Guinea

Bones of a tiny cassowary from late Pleistocene bog deposits in the Southern Highlands of New Guinea are indistinguishable from bones of Casuarius lydekkeri of unknown provenance. The relationship of these fossils to another small fossil cassowary from Pliocene sediments in the Bulolo area of New Guinea is unknown. All the fossil cassowary material is distinct from corresponding bones of extant cassowaries. Until more material is found it will be impossible to determine the relationship between the extinct and extant forms. -Authors