Chick This Out!

A male cassowary chick, Cremini, was hatched to mom, Portabella (“Bella”), and dad, Boris, on July 23. This is Bella’s first chick and Boris’ second.

The chick’s name is representative of his mom’s, being that cremini mushrooms are often called mini portabella mushrooms. Cassowary chicks, which hatch out of large pale blue-green eggs, are incubated by the male cassowaries for 50-52 days. Keepers could hear the chick chirping inside the egg the day before it hatched. This notified them that the chick had access to his air pocket inside the egg.

Once hatched, chicks are precocial, meaning that they are up and walking within hours up to a couple of days after hatching. His keepers say by day 5, Cremini was shifting in and out of holding spaces readily with dad, Boris. Being that Boris is an experienced dad, he is keeping a close eye on his chick and doing a fantastic job. Cremini is currently being raised behind the scenes so keep a look out for updates on all Zoo channels!

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