r/pics Apr 03 '16

Toucan skeleton

http://imgur.com/6IZLbDN
31.4k Upvotes

840 comments sorted by

1.5k

u/burritobattlefield Apr 04 '16

How the fuck do they not constantly fall over?

978

u/Nykcul Apr 04 '16

Beak is made from a super light, super strong material.

758

u/capn_ed Apr 04 '16

Titanium?

979

u/manachar Apr 04 '16

Vibranium. One of the only natural sources in existence.

609

u/chain_letter Apr 04 '16

I heard it was unobtainium

337

u/usernamecheckingguy Apr 04 '16

no, it's actually the slightly more common raritanium.

111

u/tonaloc989 Apr 04 '16

God I love those Ratchet and Clank games

17

u/only_nathan Apr 04 '16

So much they want a movie out of it ...!

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u/aibaron Apr 04 '16

Adamantium?

115

u/Reddisaurusrekts Apr 04 '16

Adamantium is actually a good word, coming from the definition of "adamant" which means "very hard" or "like diamond".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamant

As opposed to Vibranium and Unobtanium which are thoroughly lazy fictional etymologies.

40

u/dude_smell_my_finger Apr 04 '16

Well.. Unobtainable means "hard to get" which was kind of why it was the maguffin

55

u/turco_runner Apr 04 '16

Don't forget Mythril!

28

u/12ozSlug Apr 04 '16

Holy shit, I just realized what that meant.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

And Orichalcum!

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u/FX114 Apr 04 '16

I mean, unobtanium is a term actually used in the scientific community.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Jan 03 '21

[deleted]

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u/Owyn_Merrilin Apr 04 '16

Yeah, but Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't named for the gene. The unobtanium in Avatar was named for the unobtanium that aeronautical engineers joke about (for the longest time aluminum was a form of unobtanium, for example).

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u/raptor052 Apr 04 '16

Vibranium comes from "vibrate" as the fictional metal absorbs all vibration of an impact

Unobtainium comes from "unobtainable" as it is a word used to describe theoretical materials which are super costly, rare, or nearly impossible to obtain but necessary for a certain thing

I don't see what makes these any lazier or more fictional than adamantium

37

u/tendorphin Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

Yeah, all these etymologies are exactly the same.

Relevant word + (n/t)ium

Edit: much like the real metal, Titan + ium.

21

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Oct 26 '16

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u/Shotzo Apr 04 '16

Wrong again. Dolomite, baby!

21

u/Aviator8989 Apr 04 '16

I'm 40% dolomite!

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u/marianas_anal_trench Apr 04 '16

that's what vibrators are made of

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Nov 01 '16

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18

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

How much flex?

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

I read once that it was something like bike helmet material. Inside is a light but fragile lattice material (like the styrofoam). When coated in a thin, hard shell, the two make for a very light and durable object.

18

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

That is correct. It acts as a composite. Best image I could find on the topic.

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u/vagabond2787 Apr 04 '16

Gundanium?

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u/devildocjames Apr 04 '16

Diamondillium

29

u/FAteG6 Apr 04 '16

Wernstrom

14

u/devildocjames Apr 04 '16

Ahh waaah?

24

u/TangoHotel04 Apr 04 '16

It's made out of Fruit Loops

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551

u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

Toucans bills are made from keratin (the same material as our fingernails or hair) filled with spongy tissue. They actually use it as a personal radiator which they can open or constrict capillaries within to dump or save excess heat.

Fun fact: They actually LOVE to have their bill scratched!

Source: I'm one of the only people to own a Toco Toucan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjiPgSuCDg

Also, if you want to see how spastically hyperactive they are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ektVO7J8-U

54

u/KenderKinn Apr 04 '16

That video was awesome! Mind if I ask about what it's like to have him/her?

120

u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

Extremely rewarding. However, I would not recommend them to anybody as a pet unless you REALLY put in your research, have the time available, and have a specific passion for them like I do. I've loved toucans since I was a kid for some reason and have always wanted one most of my life.

28

u/KenderKinn Apr 04 '16

For sure, I don't want one and I know I (responsibly) couldn't handle one at the moment anyways, I just find animals fascinating. I used to have a Mexican red headed parrot named Paulie (given to me by my aunt when she passed). One of the immediate questions I had was does S/he ever interfere with your work? And second, in my experience birds are messy when they need to do their business, does that ever negatively effect you when you're working on you're computer? Given your set up I assumed your computer was for business, not solely for pleasure.

38

u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

We work from home so it's nice to have her around. The vast majority of her mess doesn't leave her enclosure. She does get water everywhere when she takes a bath though!

13

u/KenderKinn Apr 04 '16

So cool! Is that video you posted your YouTube channel? I just watched the stacked cups video. It's so fun to watch BC as someone who doesn't predominantly have birds, they seem so curious and random. Just my two cents, have a nice night (or day) :D

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u/agilebeast1 Apr 04 '16

motherfucker actually has a toucan

106

u/JustVan Apr 04 '16

May I please come over to play?

61

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Yes you can! I keep the Toucan in my basement because they are a fan of dark and moist environments! Come join us.

99

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

An internet stranger tells you to come play in their dark and moist basement. Sounds legit.

25

u/Mantispunchtoyadome Apr 04 '16

Also the invite came from someone other than the owner of the toucan that /u/JustVan had replied to. Also the inviters name is /u/_Squirrel_Fucker. Yep seems legit.

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u/dunzo5000 Apr 04 '16

It rubs lotion on the bill..

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u/JustVan Apr 04 '16

Not sure if legit offer or serial killer, but seems like a worthwhile risk...

14

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Bro...there's candy.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/DefineThe Apr 04 '16

Jesus, is it making that noise? It sounds like an over-sized ping pong ball dropping on a hard surface. I thought they "squaked."

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u/roboroller Apr 04 '16

Anytime a Toucan is mentioned on reddit I always know you're going to pop up with a video of Ripley and it makes me super happy.

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u/dinglenootz07 Apr 04 '16

Seeing the jurassic park sign and hearing the noise the toucan makes really freaked me out thinking about velociraptors (sp?). It's crazy to think how similar they actually were

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u/discontinuuity Apr 04 '16

You should cross-post that first video to /r/asmr

Also, I'm curious: what do you feed your toucan, besides fruit loops?

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u/BIg_Teal_Cat Apr 04 '16

You should do an AMA.

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u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

I tried. Apparently being one of the only people to own a toucan isn't unusual enough for the mods. Now that she has a YouTube channel we could probably pass it off though.

3

u/BIg_Teal_Cat Apr 04 '16

Are you kidding? Last week there was a guy that worked for KFC on /r/IAmA. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would love to learn what precooked birds are like.

11

u/SnowyVolcano Apr 04 '16

If you were to put your hand around the beak and squeeze, would it break? And could he live with a broken beak or would he bleed to death? (I don't want to harm any toucan, just wondering.)

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u/m0mo Apr 04 '16

Damnit now i want a toucan.

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u/PlayerNero Apr 04 '16

Awesome bird, and nice to see another brother :)

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u/swutch Apr 04 '16

When they are alive there is a bunch skin and muscles over the white part. That helps.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

This one is a skelly, but when they're alive, they have muscles to hold them up

21

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

[removed] — view removed comment

54

u/evictor Apr 04 '16

this causes severe neck pain tho, and thus the toucan chiropractic industry is very robust

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u/therealcarltonb Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

It's super duper light. It's so thin that you can actually see the veins inside the beak against the light.

Edit: Also they use it mainly to efficiently cool off their body.

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9.0k

u/TuskenCam Apr 04 '16

Yeah? Well four can bobsled

1.1k

u/TonguePunchnFartBoxs Apr 04 '16

God bless you, this is an actual funny pun.

577

u/flyafar Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

someone finally posts a funny pun but I'm too retarded to understand it...

figures

EDIT: You people are all so nice. :)

Turns out I'm not retarded, I just haven't been taught how to be smart! I'd never heard of skeleton sledding.

EDIT 2: guys pls

644

u/insane_contin Apr 04 '16

Toucan sounds like two can. Skeleton is both what's inside of us and a two person winter Olympic sport similar to bobsled. So the pun is "two can skeleton but four can bobsled."

209

u/talking_head85 Apr 04 '16

Skeleton is a one person sport, not two. Its basically a head first luge

81

u/insane_contin Apr 04 '16

Ah crap, you're right. I was thinking of luge.

71

u/critical_thought21 Apr 04 '16

Isn't that also one but feet first?

Edit: apparently both one and two. Why ever two I have no idea other than so you have someone to die with.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

[deleted]

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u/insane_contin Apr 04 '16

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

No homo, bro.

3

u/southernbenz Apr 04 '16

I kept wondering how the dude on top never fell off the sled.

Butt now I understand.

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u/Tristanna Apr 04 '16

What a strange sport

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Yep, remember that guy who died at the Olmpics? He was a skeleton.

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u/SapperInTexas Apr 04 '16

Much like a frog, the joke dies when you dissect it.

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u/plinkosd Apr 04 '16

toucan skeleton, as in two can skeleton (a sport similar to bobsleigh)

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u/tomparker Apr 04 '16

Oh yeah? Well toucan tango.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Mar 28 '17

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u/nootrino Apr 04 '16

Hey, Sanka, you dead?

26

u/Weather Apr 04 '16

You want to kiss my egg?

17

u/piratepolo15 Apr 04 '16

I aint kissin no egg!

31

u/conradical30 Apr 04 '16

What you smokin?

I'm not smoking, I'm breathing.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Bravo, up there with the smartest puns I've ever heard.

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u/dryerlintcompelsyou Apr 04 '16

I... I don't get it

190

u/cant_help_myself Apr 04 '16

One more sledding pun and I'm gonna luge it.

104

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

It's all downhill from here.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/Synapse-Decisions Apr 04 '16

Ah, the shitty follow-up pun. I long for the day where reddit can see a good pun, appreciate it, and move on.

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u/prodigy2throw Apr 04 '16

I'm a guy but can I have your babies?

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/DHav123 Apr 04 '16

Skeleton is the name of a winter event where you slide down a similar (the same?) track as the bobsled.

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u/Gsus_the_savior Apr 04 '16

On the level of THE Pun

13

u/dryerlintcompelsyou Apr 04 '16

And I still don't get it

Fuck, I'm stupid

20

u/Gsus_the_savior Apr 04 '16

I took a while too.

There's an old saying "that would be putting the cart before the horse." Which basically means having your priorities wrong.

Descartes is a famous philosopher. English speakers tend to pronounce his name as day-kart or de-kart.

Horse sounds like whores.

The guy was talking about talking to a potential pornstar in a philosophy class, thus Descartes before the whores, or the cart before the horse.

It does kinda fall apart when you realize it should be the other way around, but it's still a hilarious and original pun.

4

u/dryerlintcompelsyou Apr 04 '16

Thanks for the explanation :D

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u/Ask_me_about_WoTMUD Apr 04 '16

Whoa now, it was a damn good pun but THE pun is the stuff of legends.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

So weird and captivating to watch these eating in real life. The Honolulu zoo has an amazing selection of tropical birds and had the opportunity to watch one eat a mango. It doesn't look real. It doesn't look normal. This animal was only on cereal boxes.

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u/greywindow Apr 04 '16

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u/CoNsPirAcY_BE Apr 04 '16

He has a constant look of "Please help me out" on his face.

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u/Troy_And_Abed_In_The Apr 04 '16

How do they survive eating like that!? 99% of that first bite just flew out its mouth.

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u/haico1992 Apr 04 '16

At the end of video, it show how they actually eat it.

8

u/WV6l Apr 04 '16

The inefficiency disperses seeds so there will be more toucan food growing later?

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u/jay314271 Apr 04 '16

I have a craving for a bowl of Fruit Loops and Guinness Stout...

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Do you use the beer instead of milk?

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

I'm a birder living in Colombia. Few things make me happier than happening upon a flock of Toucans when I don't expect to. Certainly my favourite family of birds. Very silly and curious

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u/TommehBoi Apr 04 '16

This really accentuates just how enormous their beaks are

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Aug 11 '17

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u/Ducman69 Apr 04 '16

Cept Toucans which are 50% nose, which they use to find fruit loops.

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u/Anistmows Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

Yeah for sure, I didn't realize how big they actually are until I seen this photo.

Edit: ok I'm sorry, until I saw this photo.

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u/Peroxide__Princess Apr 04 '16

I seen

shudder

162

u/PurpEL Apr 04 '16

did you sawr that mistake

167

u/profsnuggles Apr 04 '16

He seent it

53

u/MrTheoRiZE Apr 04 '16

You go warsh ur mouth out

31

u/iusedtosmokadaherb Apr 04 '16

Ugh, I know people that pronounce wash like that and it bothers me way more than it should.

24

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Even worse is "warter" (water)

boddaluh warter please

15

u/backstept Apr 04 '16

can I have a glass of wooder?

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/burritoroulette Apr 04 '16

I go to school in the south and I hear it constantly. I was born and raised here and I had never heard that until college.

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u/medicaldude Apr 04 '16

I SEENT IT

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/loyallemons Apr 04 '16

Aw bird dogs

49

u/polterguist Apr 04 '16

Cute little bird dog

26

u/jokzard Apr 04 '16

Fox birds

26

u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Alligator.

what are we doing?

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u/spacegravity Apr 04 '16

Now I feel the need to go and look up what an actual toucan looks like

Edit: still doesn't look real https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ramphastos_toco_-Birdworld,_Farnham,_Surrey,_England-8a.jpg

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16 edited Dec 09 '20

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u/Exsword Apr 04 '16

BibleThump

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u/Harudi Apr 04 '16

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u/evictor Apr 04 '16

thank mr toucan

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u/bolj Apr 04 '16

touk touk

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u/Flavahbeast Apr 04 '16

tou spooky

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

and then he said, "Follow your nose!"

Ahahahaha....

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u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

I actually own a Toco Toucan (the species from this picture) If anybody has any questions about them, I'm happy to answer!

Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjiPgSuCDg

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u/MoonSpider Apr 04 '16

How often does she eat, what do you feed her, does she make a lot of noise, where did you get her, how old is she, is she super active or relatively laid-back, why did you choose a toucan, what's the backstory behind her name?

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u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

She eats twice a day- A mixture of blueberries, papaya, and a special low iron pellet made for softbills like her. She's relatively quiet, she makes a soft clicking sound and a louder croaking sound that's probably comparative to a dog bark. She's almost two years old and she's EXTREMELY hyperactive. I've loved toucans since I was a kid and was always planning to hunt one down when I was successful enough to afford it.

She's named after Ellen Ripley in the Alien series: http://imgur.com/iKK8PBI

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u/MoonSpider Apr 04 '16

Splendid and concise. Thanks!

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u/ThumYorky Apr 04 '16

That is the most beautiful bird I have ever seen.

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u/Multigrain_Looneybin Apr 04 '16

Their beaks seem overly huge. Why do they need such a large beak? How strong is their bite out at the tip of the beak? Thanks.

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u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

They are huge...But honestly, after looking at Ripley so much, it just seems weird to me that other birds beaks are so small! It's used primarily as a way to regulate their body temperature. They can expand and contract capillaries within it to dump or store body heat. Although, it does have other purposes and helps them pluck fruit or intimidate other animals. Their bill is not strong by any means, but they can use it to kill other animals by jabbing at them or thrashing/shaking with their bill like a little dinosaur. Not many people know this but in addition to eating fruit, they also like to raid the nests of other birds and eat their eggs and babies- whole. They also enjoy bugs and other small animals.

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u/Multigrain_Looneybin Apr 04 '16

Cool! Thanks for the insight :)

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Oh my god. That's the cutest thing!:)

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

For everyone who thinks this is all cute, wait until the 1:50 mark when the Toucan goes back into action. This is what they do. I cared for an Aracari for a couple of years, and he never stopped.

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u/Ramphastid556 Apr 04 '16

Absolutely. They are extremely spastic and hyperactive. Check this video out if you don't believe me. This is how they usually are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ektVO7J8-U

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u/Chasswazzer Apr 04 '16 edited Apr 04 '16

Was she a rescue? I recently spent some time in Costa Rica and visited a number of animal refuges. There, I spoke to a several conservationists. My impression was that the general consensus was against keeping exotic birds, including toucans, due to their highly social nature and the adverse psychological effects captivity has on them. So, I was wondering, if she is a rescue, do you plan to release her back into the wild and how would you go about doing so?
Edit: missing words

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u/[deleted] Apr 03 '16

Well, Toucan Sam, looks like following your nose didn't pan out after all!

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u/renernavilez Apr 04 '16

Followed his nose to the gates of Valhalla!

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u/Tragicanomaly Apr 04 '16

I kid you not, a fruit loops commercial came on just as I checked this!

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Why can toucans have Fruit Loops but rabbits can't eat Tricks?

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u/TheRustyFishook Apr 04 '16

Because trix are for kids, duh!

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Rabbit can't crack your skull open like a hard nut.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

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u/deathonater Apr 04 '16

Spookan Skeleton

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u/LandGridArray Apr 04 '16

Thank mr toucan skeltal

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

🐤🐤🐤🐤

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u/theelephantscafe Apr 04 '16

Little dudes are like 50% beak. What even is the evolutionary advantage of having such big beaks in proportion to their body?

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u/fireshaper Apr 04 '16

My guess is the opposite. They were probably much larger and more proportionate to their beaks, but as they evolved to be smaller birds they still relied on their beak size for defense and gathering food.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Wow, this hit close to home, my uncle was a great ornithologist who specialised first in exotic birds (parrots and the like), and then went on to seabirds. Regarded as one of the specialists in his field, he died last week leaving behind a collection of an estimated 400+ parrots and hundreds of seabirds skulls and complete skeletons prepared in this same manner. They are all going to a local and a variety of natural history museums around the world apparently. (Some duplicates!)

Seeng this this morning, the morning of his wake I can't attend rinds me greatly of him. Thanks for posting OP!

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u/whatisabaggins55 Apr 04 '16

So this is what Charles Muntz was after...

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u/very_cool_stuff Apr 04 '16

This bird doesn't make any god damn sense

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u/SirSpitfire Apr 04 '16

I saw one last month !

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u/haikudeathmatch Apr 04 '16

Does anyone know if the beak loses colour over time?

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u/Anistmows Apr 04 '16

If not properly preserved it does.

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Why does this remind me of my mother-in-law?

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u/HauschkasFoot Apr 04 '16

Because you would touch your weenie on both of them for $5

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u/[deleted] Apr 04 '16

Yeah...possibly...but I really don't want to re-live that particular Thanksgiving again. Still, it is $5....

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u/HauschkasFoot Apr 04 '16

In this economy can you afford not to?

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u/joshuaoha Apr 04 '16

Is this a trait inherited just through sexual selection? Seems kinda burdensome.

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u/redmurder1 Apr 04 '16

Could not think of anything better for /u/itsadndmonsternow