Toucan Facts
Toucan is a brightly colored bird commonly found in the rain forests of the Central and South America. Toucans are birds with variety in color as well as the size. Bright in color having red, blue, yellow, orange etc. and the size varies from 14 to 30 inches. These birds have a distinguished feature by having a long bill that is approximately half the size of their body. This bill is not very sharp or strong but is made of a tough material and helps the bird in getting food from inside the holes of the trees and help them protect themselves. The birds live on trees in a group of six to seven birds. They have big claws that help them balance on the trees, the two claws are in the front and two at the back. There colorful wings help them ambush with the leaves and the fruits. They are quite lazy birds and do not fly high or far away, they stay in the jungles and enjoy the fruits of the trees on which they live.
Toucans are forgivers as well as omnivores. Though they mainly eat fruits but also feed upon insects, rodents, reptiles, eggs and chicks of the other birds. Toucans are mostly hunted by the humans, big birds, jaguars and wild cats. There are almost 37 species of toucans. They generally stay alone or with a mate. The female gives 3 to 4 eggs at a time and both together incubate the eggs. The young ones have very small bill which takes few months to develop properly. They are very noisy and make loud sounds. When it comes to rest they roll themselves and sleep in the holes of the trees. The facts show that Toco Toucan with orange yellowish colored bill about 7.5 inches is the largest toucan and the smallest species is the Aracar Toucanet. Toucans are related to woodpeckers.
Facts about Vampires
Vampires are generally associated with bats, dragons and beautiful woman. The word vampire is believed to have been derived from either Hungarian vampire (witch) or Turkish upior (witch) or from Greek nosophorus (plague- carrier). A group of vampires is termed as clutch, coven, or a clan.
Some common ways people follow to keep the vampires away are: they put mustard seeds on the threshold or hang fishing net on their window to keep the vampires busy counting the seeds or the fishing net’s holes till the sun rise. In ancient times in the Europe, stone monuments were commonly called dolmens were built on the graves to stop vampires from coming back.
Vampires are not always dead; they are live people suffering from a type of disease. This disease is called porphyria or in common words as “vampire disease” or “Dracula disease”. The general symptoms of this disease are discomfort in sunlight or hair in large quantity all over the body. In severe cases the patient might have reddish brown stains on the teeth and finally goes mad. This medical disorder is generally due to haematodipsia, hemeralopia or sensitivity to sunlight termed as day blindness.
The famous vampires known of are Count Dracula, Muppet Vampires etc. The true vampire known for its beauty and attraction was Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Vampires have different tastes and habits. They are fond of blood, skin, flesh, nails and bones. Some grow white hair; change appearances and can even fly.
Before Christianity evolved garlic, bells, iron, seeds, spades, rowan trees, hawthorn branches, salt, peppermint, running water etc. were used to keep the vampires away but after the advent of Christianity the vampires’ repellent included holy water, crucifixes and Eucharist wafers.
Literature in form of folk tales, short stories, comics using mermaids all talk of vampires including movies and serials.
Kangaroo Facts
The kangaroo is an animal from Australia that is truly one of the most unique animals in the world. This is a type of animal that is noted for living in dry places and is noted for how it hops around the land with its long feet and large back legs.The kangaroo received its name from the Aboriginal word "gungurru." English settlers in the area used that word but had been pronouncing it as "kangaroo." Many settlers thought they were originally deer who hopped like frogs, had no antlers and could stand up. They were also confused about how females had their children in their pouches.
Kangaroos are marsupials that are also known as macropods who have large feet. Their large feet work alongside their long legs. When a kangaroo moves it will hop on its back legs with its large and strong tail working to balance the animal's body. This method of travel is valuable for long distances.
The front legs are several times smaller than that of the back legs. Because of this the motions that a kangaroo will make when moving slowly or when grazing for grass will work differently. The front legs and the tail will keep the kangaroo propped up while the back legs slowly go forward. This works in a process known as crawl walking.
Another interesting kangaroo fact is that it is a strong swimmer. If a kangaroo feels threatened it will move into a body of water for protection. Its front legs can work in self defense to hold predators down to drown them in the event of an attack. In some cases the kangaroo can grab the predator and destroy the predator with its hind legs.
The diet that a kangaroo has works mostly with grass and other plants. Water is also common but a kangaroo can go for days without it. However, in the event of a drought it can get to where a kangaroo can clash into various parks and farming areas for water, thus putting it at risk of being culled. This is where the kangaroo is killed off in a population control measure.
Kangaroos have a unique eating habit. Kangaroos eat early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They also rest in shady areas during the day. In many cases a kangaroo can use its front legs to scrape an area of the ground and use the newly revealed cool spot as a place to lie down in. This is especially critical because of how a kangaroo will not sweat. A kangaroo can cool itself off by licking its paws and rubbing them onto its chest.
The milk from the mother will move to the joey and after nine months the joey will move out for an extended amount of time. After a while it can get to the point where the joey no longer needs the mother's milk.
A unique part about a kangaroo is that it can come in one of three different forms. The first is the red kangaroo. This is the larger type of kangaroo that features a red color for a male and a grey color for a female. A male can be 1.5m long and have a 1m tail while weighing 85kg. A female will be slightly smaller than this. These animals can be found in central parts of Australia in areas that are flat and hot with a small amount of rainfall.
The second type of kangaroo is the grey kangaroo. This animal is not as large as a red kangaroo and it has a grayish brown appearance. Most of these animals can be found around the eastern part of the country.
Kangaroos are marsupials that are also known as macropods who have large feet. Their large feet work alongside their long legs. When a kangaroo moves it will hop on its back legs with its large and strong tail working to balance the animal's body. This method of travel is valuable for long distances.
The front legs are several times smaller than that of the back legs. Because of this the motions that a kangaroo will make when moving slowly or when grazing for grass will work differently. The front legs and the tail will keep the kangaroo propped up while the back legs slowly go forward. This works in a process known as crawl walking.
Another interesting kangaroo fact is that it is a strong swimmer. If a kangaroo feels threatened it will move into a body of water for protection. Its front legs can work in self defense to hold predators down to drown them in the event of an attack. In some cases the kangaroo can grab the predator and destroy the predator with its hind legs.
The diet that a kangaroo has works mostly with grass and other plants. Water is also common but a kangaroo can go for days without it. However, in the event of a drought it can get to where a kangaroo can clash into various parks and farming areas for water, thus putting it at risk of being culled. This is where the kangaroo is killed off in a population control measure.
Kangaroos have a unique eating habit. Kangaroos eat early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They also rest in shady areas during the day. In many cases a kangaroo can use its front legs to scrape an area of the ground and use the newly revealed cool spot as a place to lie down in. This is especially critical because of how a kangaroo will not sweat. A kangaroo can cool itself off by licking its paws and rubbing them onto its chest.
The milk from the mother will move to the joey and after nine months the joey will move out for an extended amount of time. After a while it can get to the point where the joey no longer needs the mother's milk.
A unique part about a kangaroo is that it can come in one of three different forms. The first is the red kangaroo. This is the larger type of kangaroo that features a red color for a male and a grey color for a female. A male can be 1.5m long and have a 1m tail while weighing 85kg. A female will be slightly smaller than this. These animals can be found in central parts of Australia in areas that are flat and hot with a small amount of rainfall.
The second type of kangaroo is the grey kangaroo. This animal is not as large as a red kangaroo and it has a grayish brown appearance. Most of these animals can be found around the eastern part of the country.
The third kangaroo to see is the tree kangaroo. This type of kangaroo can be found in tropical parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea. This kangaroo is different in that it lives in trees. The tail of a tree kangaroo will work to keep the animal properly balanced as it hops between branches. Also, the tails of these kangaroos are floppy and will hang down. They are not stiff like what regular kangaroos have.
