We’re excited to announce a new research collaboration with Dr Anne Gaskett, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, who will be joining us in Mission Beach this August to uncover how rainforest fruits communicate with cassowaries.
Dr Gaskett specialises in sensory ecology — and this project aims to better understand how the colours of native fruits might have evolved to appeal specifically to cassowaries. Using specialist equipment that captures how fruits appear through the unique vision of large flightless birds (ratites), Anne will take non-invasive measurements to build a detailed dataset of cassowary-preferred fruits — and explore why certain colours and traits matter.
This work will directly contribute to C4’s education programs, adding new depth to how we understand rainforest ecology and the vital role cassowaries play in seed dispersal. It also supports a broader research aim to publish a comprehensive list of fruits — native and introduced — eaten by cassowaries around Mission Beach, including their colour profiles and ecological relationships.
Get Involved: We Need Your Fruits!
We’re inviting our local community and C4 members to bring in fresh samples of native rainforest fruits — especially those you’ve seen cassowaries eat or found in scats. We’re aiming for 10–20 fruits per species, and 1-2 from some of the rarer species. These will be safely measured without any damage using Dr Gaskett’s equipment.
You’re welcome to drop native fruits at the C4 Environment Centre, or freeze them (in a ziplock bag or container) and bring them along when Dr Gaskett arrives in Mission Beach in late August.
About Dr. Anne Gaskett
Dr. Anne Gaskett is a researcher whose passion for the natural world is truly infectious. Her love for nature was sparked during a childhood filled with bushwalks in Victoria and Tasmania. This early fascination led her to dedicated student years studying a diverse array of life, including spiders, moss, orchids, and insects, both in Australia and internationally.
After marrying an entomologist, Dr. Gaskett relocated to Aotearoa New Zealand, where they both took up positions as lecturers at the University of Auckland. Her research interests are remarkably broad, encompassing seabirds, forest birds, reptiles, insects, plants, and fungi. What truly drives Dr. Gaskett is the joy of discovery – uncovering nature’s incredible diversity, resilience, colourfulness, and the intricate connections that weave it all together. We are so excited she is bringing her enthusiasm and expertise to our C4 community.
Save the Date: 22 August Morning Tea + Research Talk
Dr Gaskett will be presenting a talk at our Monthly Members Morning Tea on Friday 22 August. All are welcome. She’ll be sharing insights from some of her other research topics as well as her current study.
This collaboration is part of our ongoing efforts to connect research science with community-led conservation. We’re excited to welcome Dr Gaskett and her family to Mission Beach and look forward to seeing what we can discover together!
📍 To drop off fruit or find out more, contact hello@cassowaryconservation.org
🧪 Learn more about Dr Gaskett’s work: University Profile | Google Scholar