The Toucan (Aulacorhynchus Caeruleogularis) is a fascinating South American Rainforest animal. The Toucan is related to woodpeckers! It likes living with its' mate on the borders in the canopy layer of the rainforest. The canopy layer is the second most upper layer, and the toucan can blend in with its many colors.

The toucan's bill and feathers come in many colors such as green, orange, yellow, red, and black. Amazingly, the toucans tongue is feathered! About 20 inches long, the toucan weighs 400 grams. The toucan has 4 toes on each foot. Two are facing forwards, and 2 are facing backwards. The bill of the toucan is a third of the toucan's length. The toucan is so loud you can hear it a half a mile away. The toucan is known as the loudest animal in the rainforest, which can help scare away predators.

Being loud helps scare off enemies. The toucan's bill is a very special thing, and can actually help find other toucans’, and can warn them about predators. The toucan's enemies are big cats, owls, big snakes, kinkajous, humans’ and especially the jaguar. The toucan can try to fight back, but against the jaguar, it will probably lose. Th sharp bill can also help defend itself, as well as help the Toucan to eat.

The toucan eats by snipping the fruit off the tree with its’ bill, throwing it up in the air, and swallowing it. Fruit's are the toucan's main food. Various sweet fruits are eaten, not just one type. As well as fruit's, the toucan will eat eggs from other animals, insects, small lizards, and snakes, and other weak birds. The fruits of the rainforest are very sweet, and the toucan had to adapt to eating such sweet fruits.

To be able to survive, the toucan had to adapt to eating sweet fruits. The bill of the toucan had to grow longer and sharper in order to reach high fruits. Having to fly long distances, the toucan is always happy when it can relax in its’ nest.

The toucan flies to get around, and at night it goes home to its’ nest in a hole of a tree. Mainly living in South American rainforests, the toucan likes the canopy. Also living on the borders of the rainforest, the toucan is endangered by deforestation.

Sadly, the toucan is endangered. The feathers, nor the bill, or anything on the toucan is usually sold or made into a product. Humans’ have destroyed the habitats, and the part of the rainforest it lives in. Luckily, the toucan has protected areas to live in. The toucan does not have many young, which can also be why it is more endangered.

Laying 2-4 eggs a year, it takes 14-20 days for the eggs to hatch. The young usually survive, and stay with the parents up to 6 weeks. By the color of its' bill, the male toucan will attract the female. To feed the young, one parent eats some food, then throws it up into the baby's mouth. The young will not go hunting with the parents, but one parent is always with the baby while the other hunts, till the baby is 6 weeks old.

In conclusion, I think that the toucan is a wonderful animal. Without this animal, the rainforest will not be the same. So, I hope that the animal is helped and protected, before it becomes extinct.

Bibliography:

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hellyer/toucan.html

http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/toucanpage.html

http://www.msad33.org/drlev/rainfor.htm

http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/wr/ozuna/animals/mark.pdf

http://clio.ic.edu/students/hillyer/>

http://www.rainforestlive.org.uk/index.cfm?Articleid=391

http://www.animalsoftherainforest.com/frames.htm

http://www.chenowith.k12.or.us/ces/1999_2000/Rainforest2/toucan.html