I'm a cassowary!

Cassowaries stole my heart long ago. Beautiful, powerful and strangely prehistoric, they became my animal alter ego — watchful, solitary, quiet, yet impossible to ignore. This blog is a small space dedicated to cassowaries: their world, symbolism and survival. Through comics I want to share fascination, curiosity and respect for these extraordinary birds. Be curious. Knowledge is power.

[imacassowary]

Is this paradise? No, it's Croatia!

What do you think is the most beautiful place in the world? For me, Croatia is definitely a top contender.

This stunning destination delights with its rich flora and fauna: from bright Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spectabilis) cascading down stone streets, to crystal-clear coastal waters filled with marine life like Očatka (Oblada melanura), Knez (Coris julis), Fratar (Diplodus vulgaris), and Pirka (Serranus scriba). The landscapes are simply breathtaking — the majestic Dinaric Alps, particularly the soaring Biokovo mountain range, plunge directly into the turquoise Adriatic Sea, offering unbelievable views over islands like Brač and Hvar.

Once you witness where rocky peaks meet the crystal-clear sea, you'll instantly understand why it's so hard to leave. What places are currently at the top of your travel bucket list?

[imacassowary]

Spot the difference: : pinnipeds and whales edition

At first glance they all look the same — seals, sea lions, fur seals, walruses… And the same goes for baleen whales and toothed whales. But each group has its own features, adaptations, and quirks. Once you take a closer look, the differences start to pop out and it's fascinating! Btw I really hope I got all the English names right — in my native language they sound completely different, and these ones gave me a bit of a headache 😅

[imacassowary]

A sneaky little mastermind

Crows are not just loud, bold, or mischievous – they are incredibly intelligent. They use tools, solve puzzles, remember faces, learn from one another, and even hold "funerals" (sort of). I shared some unsalted peanuts with a few of them by the seaside; as they approached, you could see in their eyes that they really are sneaky little masterminds.

[imacassowary]

A plover and a pigeon

Another bird from my recent Baltic Sea trip!

This time it's a plover. These tiny shorebirds have a clever trick: if a predator gets too close to their nest, they'll sometimes pretend to be injured to lure it away.

I saw one on the beach and it was absolutely adorable. It also moved surprisingly fast for such a tiny bird.

Meanwhile, the pigeon in this comic is here to represent a very different survival strategy: building what can only generously be described as a nest. 😂

Pigeons are such wonderfully ridiculous birds. I should probably make an entire comic about them one day. I know they're not exactly everyone's favorite, but they're genuinely funny and surprisingly fascinating once you start paying attention to them.

Honestly, I feel the same way about seagulls and crows. They're smart, weird, dramatic, and endlessly entertaining.

Expect comics about those two troublemakers soon. 😉✨

[imacassowary]

Meeting an eel

I was at the Baltic Sea again recently, so there will be a little series featuring fauna from that region. And yes, I ended up in Kashubia again. 😅 I just can't resist that place!

There are so many fascinating fish, birds, and other animals there that I keep coming back with new comic ideas.

Today's comic is about the eel —one of the most intriguing creatures around. Did you know they migrate all the way to the Sargasso Sea to spawn? 🌍 Or that their blood is toxic? ☠️

[imacassowary]

Hi there! It’s been a while, but I’m back with a fresh dose of humor, information, and cassowary adventures. I won’t promise to be very regular with the content — whenever I do, things go the usual way and I end up not being regular at all 😅 But I do promise to be here more often, especially on Sundays and Fridays 😉 Speaking of which... it’s been so long that I actually forgot which brush I used to paint my cassowaries. It’s a silly situation, but I'm not kidding when I say I tried out over half the brushes saved on my computer before I found the right one. Luckily, I’ve got it now. But the one in Zuza's second portrait looks interesting too. What do you think? Should I start using it instead?

[imacassowary]

Happy Halloween! 🦇🎃💀👻🕷️

Zuza loves dressing up, grumpy Gienek thinks it's all stupid and Maurycy is delighted with all the Halloween decorations. And you? What are you doing on Halloween?

[imacassowary]

Google

Happy Valentine's Day! #GoogleDoodle

Hi! Have you seen today's Google Doodle? This is the most creative Valentine's Day thing I've ever seen. What element are you? We (me and Zuza) are Iodine 😄♥️ Gienek is hydrogen, so the chemistry between Zuza and Gienek is hydrogen iodide (HI) and Maurycy is bromine, so the chmistry between Zuza and Maurycy is iodine monobromide (IBr).

Notice how well the questions in the test are designed (each one is matched to a specific characteristic of an element, e.g. atomic mass or state of matter). And when a bond is formed, we see a real number of bonds, e.g. there is one between two hydrogens, but three between two nitrogens. Awesome!

[imacassowary]

I like many languages, but my long-standing love for the Nordic countries, viking culture, metal music, Nordic mythology and the local climate resulted also in my love for Nordic languages, especially Norwegian. However, before I started learning it, I had no idea how funny the language is sometimes, and at the same time how incredibly logical, practical and rational it is.

I have such a great time learning Norwegian! And you? Which countries, regions and languages ​​do you like the most?

[imacassowary]

Hi, how are you? 😊 Sorry I haven't been here for a long time, but I was looking for a job. I was full of hope and excitement. Honestly, I thought it would be easier but well, I have to keep looking. I hope I will finally find my dream job. What was your job search like?

[imacassowary]

Norwegian with Nora – the Puffin!

Hi again! It's me – Zuza, the Cassowary! It's been a while since I've last visited here, but that's because it's been a very busy time. I devoted it, among other things, to learning Norwegian, which has been my dream for a long time. Perhaps soon I'll be the first Norwegian-speaking cassowary in the world.

And you? Do you like to learn languages? Which one is your favorite? 😊

[imacassowary]

Each of us can be an artist and each of us is different. And that’s great!

Gienek (ISTJ) likes traditional methods, Zuza (INTJ) values ​​abstraction, Kinga (INFJ) pays attention to contact with the audience, Maurycy (ISFP) creates expressive artworks. Jung claimed that you can’t simply look at an artwork and tell what type of personality painted it, but It turns out, however, that you can find the artists’ personality types in their everyday life (habits, behavior, etc.), look at their artworks and then fully understand their art and themselves by connection to their personality type (I write about that in my PhD thesis). As an INTJ, I love to explore many ideas, but my art has leading themes and is always well thought out. Also, just like Zuza, I really like abstraction

What kind of art do you create? And how does it relate to your personality type?

[imacassowary]

What is normal for one may be unacceptable for another. But gaining  inspiration from things that seem strange to us can be refreshing from  time to time. What do you think? Are you more like Gienek in terms of  experimenting, or rather like Maurycy? Do you like to experiment?  

[imacassowary]

Running

[imacassowary]

Most of us have a soft side. Like Zuza, I am considered to be stiff, stand-offish, cold, unfriendly and tough, but on the inside I am the person, who names soft toys, plants and tiny items (as those tank-shaped key rings) and treats them as if they were living things. Also, whenever I choose something listed above in the store, I buy the item I took in my hand first, because if I put it down and took another one, the item would be sad. Oh, and I always choose things that have some sort of defect instead of those which are perfect, because I think no one else will take them, so I kind of save them from going to the garbage can (the Zuza-tank's turret can't turn around, but I didn't mind, I bought it anyways).

What's your soft side?

[imacassowary]

Have you ever been to Kashubia? It’s a region of northern Poland, famous for its specific language and beautiful patterns. I've been there many times and each time, instead of bringing less souvenirs, I bring more and more of them. I just can’t stop 😅

[imacassowary]

Pigs