Toucans and woodpeckers

Today I learned about a type of Toucan and a couple of interesting woodpeckers.


The Toco Toucan. This toucan has the longest beak, called a bill. They can be as long as 7 1/2 inches. This helps them reach food at the end of twigs that could not support their weight. This bird isn't very social and likes to stay by itself. They make their nest in trees that already have holes. They live in Brazil.

Another Toco Toucan.

Acorn Woodpecker. They eat acorns. They will drill holes in a a tree and stuff an acorn inside of it. With a lot of woodpeckers working together one tree can have 50,000 acorns it! They live on the west coast of North and Central America.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Wood pecker. These birds like to eat the sap out of trees, especially maple and fruit trees.They drill a lot of holes and then return to the first to eat the sap once it starts coming out.

Black Woodpecker. This is Eurasia's largest woodpecker. It can be 18 inches in length. It is the size of a crow. It mainly eat insects.

Sharks

Today I learned about SHARKS!
They have bodies that are like torpedoes! They move quickly. They have lots of sharp teeth. They have a really good sense of smell. They can smell blood very far away. There are over 300 different kinds of sharks. They usually live in warm waters. There are zebra,whales, sandtiger, goblin, crocodile, leopards, lemon, cat, bull, and tigers sharks. I think that's funny that there are so many different names.

The Whale Shark. This is the biggest fish in the world. It can be 39 feet long. It is safe for humans though. This shark only eats plankton.

The Great White Shark. This is the meanest of the bad boys. He is know has a the great "man eater." This shark can grow to be 20 feet long and weigh 2 tons! They eat seals, sea lions, dolphins, large fish, other sharks and anything else that looks good to eat! They have large, flesh tearing teeth. Look out for this guy!

The Hammerhead. They grow to be 13 feet long. Their eyes are in a weird place. They are very grouchy! They are known to attack humans. They are unlike most other sharks because they often live in schools and migrate in huge numbers.

The Zebra Shark. They can grow to be 9 feet long, but they don't weigh very much. They have a flexible body. They eat shrimps, crabs, and small bony fish. Their mouth is a different shape that lets them eat mollusks. They usually stay on the sea floor. There is only one kind of zebra shark.

Pygmy Shark. These are one of the smallest sharks. They have organs that produce lights. They cast shadows making them harder to hunt. They only grow to be 10 inches long.

Mollusks

Today and yesterday I learned about mollusks. They can have the most unusual shapes. Mollusks are squids, octopuses, clams, slugs, snails, murexes, and oysters.

Most mollusks have a flat foot that they use to crawl around with. They leave a trail of slime to help them move. There are about 100,000 types of mollusks.

The squid. They can be as big as 65 feet. No squid has ever been caught alive.

The Great Giant Pacific Octopus. It lives from Alaska to Japan in the North Pacific Ocean. They can weight 100 pounds and be 15 feet long. They live alone in dens. After the babies are born the mother octopus will die! They look mean!

The Blue-Ringed Octopus. This octopus lives in the coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are only 4 inches long BUT they are so poisonous that a human can die from their bite in 15 minutes. Look out for them!

Giant Clam. They are over 3 feet long and can weigh over 400 pounds. They are safe creatures that only eat algae.

Murexes. They chase after other mollusks and bore holes in their shells. They secrete purple dye that has been used for centuries. They are found in the Indo-Pacific. They are only 6 inches long.

Bears

Today I learned more about bears. Here are some pictures and some things I learned.


Panda bears only eat bamboo. There aren't very many panda bears in the world left. I was able to see some panda bears a couple years ago at the San Diego Zoo. They were like big teddy bears.

This is the Sloth Bear. It lives in India. That is very far away. When bears stand up they aren't always trying to be aggressive. They are just trying to get a good look about what is around them!

There are lots of types of brown bears. Some are mean and grouchy like the grizzly bear! They can stand up to 11 feet tall.

Bears like to go swimming because they love to eat FISH!

Here is a baby polar bear. They like to mess around and be silly. They live where it is really cold! They can swim really good and they can hold their breath for two minutes!