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PebbleGo's first Spanish language module! Translated by a team of Spanish language professionals, each article features both Spanish text and read-aloud audio recorded by professional voice over artists.

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PebbleGo's first Spanish language module! Translated by a team of Spanish language professionals, each article features both Spanish text and read-aloud audio recorded by professional voice over artists.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PebbleGo's first Spanish language module! Translated by a team of Spanish language professionals, each article features both Spanish text and read-aloud audio recorded by professional voice over artists.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PebbleGo's first Spanish language module! Translated by a team of Spanish language professionals, each article features both Spanish text and read-aloud audio recorded by professional voice over artists.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PebbleGo's first Spanish language module! Translated by a team of Spanish language professionals, each article features both Spanish text and read-aloud audio recorded by professional voice over artists.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Amaze and educate your kids by sharing fun and interesting facts about Toucans with them. With their colorful bills, these birds are interesting to see and learn about. Their exotic appearance is quite appealing to kids and adults alike.

Six Facts About Toucans

Learn a few interesting facts about toucans and share your newfound knowledge with your children as well as other family members and friends.

1. Habitat

Toucans reside in the jungles of South America and Central America and live together in small-sized flocks made up of about five or six birds. They sleep in holes in trees and, to make themselves smaller, roll up into balls with their beaks tucked and tails flipped up.

2. Diet

Toucans eat both plant and animal foods. Their diet consists of:

Bird eggs

Insects

Fruit

Reptiles

Rodents

Other birds

3. Weight and Height

An average full-grown toucan weighs less than a pound - about 14 ounces or 400 grams. Full grown toucans are slightly less than two-feet long. From top to tail they are about 20 inches.

4. The Unique Toucan Bill

Toucans have big bills. As a matter of fact, they have larger bills, in proportion to the size of their body, than any other birds. Toucans' bills average about eight inches in length. Studies suggest that a toucan's bill is so large because it helps to keep the bird cool in the warm climates where it lives. Since they are unable to sweat, they need their bills for air conditioning.

Toucans' bills are not solid. Instead, their structure is similar to a honeycomb, making the bills extremely light. Because toucans' bills are so lightweight, they can't be used for digging or fighting. The large bill does, however, allow them to sit in one spot and reach for food, which is a good thing since toucans don't like to move around much. They make use of length of their bills by digging into holes in trees and logs to grab prey. Toucans also can use their bills for camouflage.

Baby toucans are not born with large beaks; it takes several months for their beaks to reach full size.

5. Claws

Toucans have four claws: two on the front and two on the back, which allow them to cling to branches and balance on trees.

6. Toucan Predators

Jaguars and other big cats are natural predators of the toucan. Humans trap wild toucans for the exotic bird trade, so may be considered unnatural predators.

More Information About Toucans

Scientists have learned quite a lot about toucans or the Ramphastos sulfuratus, their scientific name. These noisy birds can live a long time; their lifespan is up to 20 years. Some other fun facts about the toucan are:

There are about 40 different species of toucans.

The most widely recognized toucan is the Toco Toucan, which has a long, orange bill.

Female toucans lay two to four eggs every year.

Some people keep toucans as pets. These birds can make a great addition to the right homes.

Because these birds are so recognizable, they are popular mascots for products such as Fruit Loops cereal. (The cereal box star is a Keel-billed Toucan.)

Native populations in South America believe that toucans are able to provide a spiritual connection between the dead and the living.

To the Rescue - Breakfast of Champions

There are many reasons a toucan can get into trouble and need rescue. Poaching removes wild birds from their habitats for the illegal pet trade. Predators will threaten an injured or immature toucan that may be unable to get away. When a baby toucan falls from its nest, it is more likely to be eaten than to be rescued. But one lucky baby made it to a rehabilitation center in Costa Rica with its appetite for life unruffled.

True Things About Toucans

Drill even deeper into toucan lore to understand these magical, tropical birds and why they act the way they do.

A toucan's true home is in a rainforest canopy. They are healthiest and happiest in the wild, so it's challenging to recreate a suitable habitat in captivity. If your family is thinking about a pet toucan, be sure to look for one that has been bred domestically, not poached from the wild for the exotic bird trade.

It can be tricky to know whether a baby bird is male or female. Toucans are monomorphic which means the males and females are about the same size and coloring. The only reliable way to tell if a bird is male or female is to see if it lays eggs.

Toucanettes (mini-toucans) are dimorphic, meaning there are distinct differences between males and females.

Toucans love to play, but they aren't great at learning tricks. The birds are super smart, but they are as bouncy as Tiggers. A healthy toucan will spend its day jumping from limb to limb of a tree, seldom perching for more than a few minutes. Some favorite activities in the wild are bonking beaks in playful jousts with flock mates, and hunting for games to play.

Toucans eat a lot. First-choice fruits include papayas, mangoes, fresh berries, bananas, apples, grapes and melons, almost anything non-citrus. They will also gobble down spiders and insects, and sometimes snakes and lizards, that they find in trees. If a toucan discovers a nest, it will eat the eggs and even the baby birds of other species.

The colorful clownish birds eat about every fifteen minutes and they projectile poop about that often, too. It's very messy, if you have a pet toucan and you don't happen to live in the jungle.

Toucans sleep with their huge beaks tucked under their wings to keep warm. Their beaks are filled with blood vessels that circulate the warm blood throughout their bodies to help regulate their temperature during cool jungle nights.

Fascinating Creatures

Now that you know a little more about these brightly colored birds, you can share your facts with your children so they to can come to understand and appreciate toucans. After all, toucans are fascinating creatures!

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Amaze and educate your kids by sharing fun and interesting facts about Toucans with them. With their colorful bills, these birds are interesting to see and learn about. Their exotic appearance is quite appealing to kids and adults alike.

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With their huge bills and striking plumage, toucans are some of the world's most recognisable birds. This page contains toucan information and is part of our Rainforest Animals series. At the bottom of the page you will find a list of toucan facts for kids. Let's take a trip to the rainforest to learn about this amazing bird!

Part of our Rainforest Animals facts series.

Toucan Facts & Information For Kids

Toucans are crow-sized birds with extra-large, brightly-coloured bills. Toucans live in the tropical forests of South and Central America. Due to their unique appearance and bright colours, toucans are very popular with humans, and are even kept as pets. Let's find out more toucan information!

Toucan Habitat

Toucans live in the canopy layer of the rainforest. The canopy provides plenty of food and protection for the birds. Here, the toucan's bright colours act as camouflage, hiding the bird among fruits and plants.

You can see toucans in the wild in the video below:

Toucan Information

Toucans live together in pairs or in very small flocks. Rather than nest in the branches of trees, toucans build their nests in tree holes and hollows. These are often holes abandoned by woodpeckers. Here the female will lay 2-4 white eggs. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs for about 16-20 days. After the eggs hatch, both parents continue to care for the chicks.

Toucan Facts: Can Toucans Fly?

Toucans do fly, but they don't have very big wings and aren't known for their flying prowess. They prefer to glide or to hop around.

Toucan Species

There are more than 40 different species of toucan. Although toucans are famous for their colourful bills, many species have brightly coloured plumage, too.

Toucans are members of the Ramphastidae family. This family includes toucans, aracaris and toucanets.

The different toucan species vary in size, ranging from just under 12 inches (30cm) to around 2 feet (60cm) in length, and 0.25 pound (0.113 kg) to 1.5 pounds (0.680 kg) in weight. The average full-grown toucan weighs just under a pound.

The toucan's body is short and compact, similar to that of a crow's, and its back and tail are covered with black feathers. The chest, underparts and bill are where the bright colours are found.

Toucan Calls

Toucans make loud croaking noises. They sound like a frog trying to impersonate a pig. Toucans also make high-pitched squealing sounds.

You can hear a Keel Billed Toucan's call in the video below:

Different toucan species have noticeably different calls.

The Toucan's Bill

A toucan's bill is very large and can be well over half of the length of the toucan's body.

Toucan bills can be black, orange, blue, brown, green, red, white, yellow, or a combination of these colours.

Inside, the bill is like a honeycomb, with thin bony walls filled with a spongy tissue called keratin (the same substance from which a rhino's horn is made). The honeycomb structure gives the bill its strength and lightness.

What The Bill Is Used For

Despite its size, the toucan's bill is too lightweight for making nest holes in trees, or for defence against predators (although it may help as a deterrent).

The primary purpose of a toucan's bill is feeding. The edges of the bill are serrated. These jagged edges help the toucan tear fruit apart. Toucans also use their bills to reach for food. The bill's light weight helps the bird reach fruit on thin branches. It is also used to reach into cracks and holes in trees.

Some scientists think that the bright colours on the toucan's bill may scare smaller birds, allowing the toucan to raid their nests.

Toucans have been known to wrestle or fence with their bills, possibly to determine a toucan's social standing within the flock.

Keeping Cool

The bill serves another important purpose: to regulate the toucan's body temperature. Temperature is controlled by the amount of blood flow that is sent to the bill.

The Toucan's Diet

Toucans are omnivores, which means they eat plants and animals. Their diet consists mainly of fruit, insects, eggs, reptiles, and even some small animals.

Toucans will raid the nests of other bird species, and take not only the eggs, but the nestlings too.

The Toucan's Body

With more than 40 species, the toucan comes in a variety of sizes. These range from as small as 7 inches to more than 2 feet. The average full-grown toucan weighs just less than a pound; about 14 ounces.

A toucan's body is short and compact, similar to that of a crow's, and is mostly covered with black feathers, with the throat area having white or yellow feathers.

An Important Bird In The Rainforest

Toucans are very important to the health and diversity of the rainforest. They help by spreading seeds from the fruit and berries they eat; this helps more plants to grow.

Imagine a toucan eating a passion fruit (one of its favourite foods). It uses its bill to cut off big chunks of fruit, which are then swallowed whole. The toucan doesn't spit out the seeds: they go down along with everything else. The seeds aren't digested, and quickly pass through the toucan. They are still intact in the toucan's droppings, and may grow into a new passion fruit plant.

Toucan Predators

Toucans are potential prey for a number of rainforest predators, including harpy eagles and other predatory birds, snakes such as boa constrictors, and mammals such as jaguars and ocelots.

10 Toucan Facts For Kids

Toucans can live up to 20 years.

The Toco toucan is the most recognisable toucan species, with its black and white plumage and orange bill.

Toucans hatch from the eggs bare; without any down (feathers) at all.

Newly hatched toucan chicks don't look too different to other birds. However, their long bills develop fast!

Toucans are not on the list of endangered species, however illegal pet trade among humans does affect toucan numbers.

Toucans have narrow, 6 inch (15 cm) long, grey-coloured tongues.

Because of the way the bones in their tails grow, toucans are able to flip their tails up to touch their heads. This is also how they sleep: in a ball, with their bills tucked back and their tails flipped forward.

Adult toucans tuck their bills under their wings while they sleep. Researchers believe this is because they might otherwise get too cool and lose heat through the bill.

Toucans do not migrate.

Besides rainforests, toucans also live in tropical savannas and shrubland.

Conclusion

We hope that you have enjoyed reading these amazing toucan facts. As we've found, toucans are not only beautiful to look at, they also play an important part in the rainforest ecosystem.

Toucan Games & Activities

Write a story from the first person point of view of a toucan. Describe a day in the life of a toucan. Be sure to include the senses of taste, touch, and sight.

Practise drawing a toucan. Add all the bright colors with crayons, markers, or coloured pencils.

Learn about more incredible rainforest animals here.

Related pages:

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Toucan Facts And Information For Kids With Pictures & Video

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With their huge bills and striking plumage, toucans are some of the world's most recognisable birds. This page contains toucan information and is part of our Rainforest Animals series. At the bottom of the page you will find a list of toucan facts for kids.

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See these colorful, long-billed birds move around their forest habitat.

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This page contains information about jaguars, and includes a list of jaguar facts for kids. This article is part of our Rainforest Animals series.

The jaguar's size, strength and expert hunting ability means that it's an apex predator in the rainforests of South and Central America. Read on to find out more about this deadly rainforest cat...

Jaguars And The Cat Family

The jaguar is a large, powerfully-built cat. Its coat is pale orange and marked with rings called "rosettes". Within each rosette are one or more smaller black spots.

Jaguars are members of the cat family Felidae - the same family to which your pet cat belongs! Members of this family are known as felids.

Jaguars belong to a subfamily of Felidae called Pantherinae. Other members of this subfamily include lions, tigers, leopards and snow leopards.

Jaguars are the third-largest cat species: only tigers and lions are bigger. The jaguar is the biggest cat native to the Americas.

The jaguar belongs to a group of felids known as the "big cats". You can find out more about big cats on this page: What Is A Big Cat?

Jaguar Information

Jaguars are solitary creatures, each living in its own area, known as a "territory". Jaguars protect their territories from other jaguars.

Female jaguars give birth to 1 - 4 kittens at a time, and cubs live with their mothers for 2 or more years before they go off on their own.

Jaguars are powerfully built, and are excellent climbers and swimmers.

Jaguar Vs Leopard... vs Panther?

Jaguars and leopards are very similar. Both are large, spotted, big cats. However, Jaguars are bigger and more heavily built. Jaguars' rosettes are bigger, less densely spaced, and have a central spot which leopards don't have.

Jaguars live in the Americas, and leopards are found in Africa and Asia.

Some jaguars (and leopards) have markings that are so dense that the animals looks completely black. These animals are known as 'panthers', but they are in actual fact just jaguars or leopards, and not a separate species.

Where Do Jaguars live?

Jaguars are found in North, Central, and South America. Jaguars are even occasionally seen in Arizona, in the United States!

However, jaguars are mainly forest creatures, and prefer the dense rainforests of South America. They are also found in wetlands and grasslands.

Jaguars are most numerous in the Amazon Basin (the area around the Amazon river) and The Pantanal - a large wetland area in Brazil and parts of Bolivia and Paraguay.

Jaguars often live near water. Unlike other cats, jaguars are excellent swimmers, and can swim across rivers. They will also approach ambush prey from the water.

Watch the video below to see how at home a jaguar is in the water.

How Big Are Jaguars?

The length of a jaguar's body is between 4 - 6 feet, and their tails add another 20 - 30″. The jaguar's tail is the shortest of any big cat.

Jaguars weigh between 100 to 250 lbs (45 - 113 kg). Males are larger than females, and have been recorded to weigh as much as 348 lbs (158 kg).

Jaguars are 25 to 30 in (63 to 76 cm) tall.

What Does A Jaguar Eat?

Jaguars are carnivores (meat eaters). Their diet includes many kinds of animals, including fish, birds, caimans, deer, monkeys, capybaras and tapirs. Jaguars are also known to eat turtles, and their jaws are strong enough to break open turtles' shells. Jaguars generally prefer larger prey.

Jaguar Hunting Methods

Jaguars prefer to stalk or ambush their prey, rather than pursue it. Jaguars are known to climb trees in order to ambush their prey.

In fact, jaguars are known as one of the best ambush hunters of all! If you are in the rainforest, always keep one eye on the trees above you!

Jaguars dispatch their prey with a strong bite to the neck that suffocates the animal. Jaguars can also use their strong jaws to crush the skulls of smaller prey animals, killing the prey instantly.

Are Jaguars Endangered?

Jaguars are classed as being 'Near Threatened' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As with many rainforest species, the biggest threat to Jaguars is habitat loss due to deforestation. They are also shot by farmers protecting their livestock, and even today some are shot for their fur.

There are only about 15,000 jaguars living in the wild in their natural habitat.

1. Jaguars are solitary creatures, and adults spend most of their time alone.

2. Unlike most cats, jaguars are excellent swimmers and can swim across rivers.

3. The word 'jaguar' comes from the Native American word 'yajuar', which means 'he who kills with one leap'.

4. Jaguars have the third most powerful bites of all cats.

5. Jaguars can see six times better than humans.

6. The jaguar's scientific name is Panthera onca.

7. Jaguars are masters at ambush hunting and stalking.

8. In the wild, jaguars live for 12-15 years.

9. Jaguars are carnivores, with varied diets that includes fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.

10. Jaguars' rosettes are bigger than thos of leopards, and have a spot in the centre.

Discover More with Active Wild

You can discover more amazing rainforest animals on this page: Rainforest Animals List with Pictures & Facts

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Jaguar Facts For Kids & Adults: Information, Pictures & Video

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This page contains information about jaguars, and includes a list of jaguar facts for kids. This article is part of our Rainforest Animals series. The jaguar's size, strength and expert hunting ability means that it's an apex predator in the rainforests of South and Central America.

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What's the difference between a jaguar and a leopard? Both have a tawny coat with black markings, but jaguars are larger and stockier. Leopards live in Africa and Asia. They also live in Central and South America.

Jaguars are big cats. Only tigers and lions are bigger. Males weigh up to 250 pounds, while females are smaller. Like all cats, jaguars are carnivores. They hunt their prey by stalking it through the grass and trees. Then they pounce for the kill. Jaguars eat wild pigs, turtles, cattle and even caiman, which are like alligators.

Fun Facts about Jaguars for Kids

Jaguars are nocturnal. They lounge around during the day and hunt at night.

Some jaguars are black with spots. They are sometimes called panthers, but they're really jaguars.

The native South American word for jaguar, "yaguara", means animal that kills in a single bound.

Jaguars love to swim in lakes and rivers.

Jaguars wave their tails over water to attract fish.

Jaguar Vocabulary

Learn More All About Jaguars

Watch this awesome video all about jaguars:

A documentary about jaguars - their lives and difference between leopards.

Jaguar Q&A

Question: Are jaguars good mothers?

Answer: Jaguar moms usually have two babies at a time. The babies' eyes are closed when they are born. Mom takes care of them for up to two years.

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Question: Do jaguars live in prides?

Answer: Jaguars live alone except when a mother is raising her cubs.

Enjoyed the Easy Science for Kids Website all about Jaguars info? Take the FREE & fun all about Jaguars quiz and download FREE Jaguars worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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What's the difference between a jaguar and a leopard? Both have a tawny coat with black markings, but jaguars are larger and stockier. Leopards live in Africa and Asia. They also live in Central and South America. Jaguars are big cats. Only tigers and lions are bigger.

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Boa Constrictor

The Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) resides in the Rainforests of Belize, Northern Mexico and Argentina in South America. There, it is known as 'Wowla' to the natives of Belize. Boa Constrictors can been seen throughout the forest and sometimes in off shore caves. Boa Constrictors have two subfamilies: 'Boinae' or true boas and 'Erycinae' or sand boas.

Pythons are sometimes classified as a subfamily of Boidae, but are frequently listed under their own family, 'Pythonidae'. Sand boas are also frequently listed under their own family, 'Erycidae'.

Boa Constrictor Description

Boa Constrictors vary in colour from a pinkish brown to grey with distinguished markings called 'crossbands' along their body. The Boa Constrictor is the largest snake in the Belize Rianforest, reaching an amazing length of 12 feet from head to tail tip. Boa Constrictors have large curved teeth which are used to grasp prey in.

The longest ever recorded Boa Constrictor is said to have been 18 feet long, thats over 3 times as long as you or me if you are about 5 feet tall.

Female Boa Constrictors are usually larger than males. Boa Constrictors contain many subspecies based on locality. The Boa Constrictors from the Amazon Basin are the most colourful, possessing bright cherry red tails. It used to be said that boas were New World Snakes and pythons were Old World Snakes, but, with boas found on Madagascar, Fiji and Solomon Islands, this is not quite true. Instead, it is possible that boas have survived in evolutionarily isolated areas.

Boa Constrictor Diet

Boa Constrictors easily populate areas where there is food such as rodents and songbirds. Boa Constrictors will also feed on lizards, small mongoose, bats, rats, squirrels, iguanas and other small mammals.

Boa Constrictor Behaviour

The Boa Constrictor has no venom unlike many other snakes, but when threatened they will hiss and strike their opponent, their bite can be very, very painful. Boa Constrictors use constriction to suffercate their prey. When the prey has been suffocated the Boa eats it whole. It can take several weeks for a Boa to digest its food completely.

Boa Constrictors use 'heat sensitive pits' on their heads to sense their surroundings because they have bad eyesight.

Boa Constrictor Reproduction

Boa Constrictors are seasonal breeders. The female of the species can give birth to as many as 50 young at any one time. Unlike many other reptiles and snakes, they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.

Boa Constrictor Sub Species

Sub Family Boinae

Snakes of the subfamily 'Boinae' are found in Madagascar, Papua, Pacific Islands and the Neotropics. It has been suggested that genera within each of these particular areas do not form monophyletic groups (groups consisting of an inferred common ancestor and all its descendants).

The sub species are:

Boa (one species: Boa constrictor, also called the Red-tailed Boa)

Acrantophis (Dumeril's Boa and Madagascar Ground Boa; sometimes equated with Boa)

Sanzinia (Madagascar Tree Boa; sometimes equated with Boa)

Corallus (Tree boas)

Epicrates (Rainbow boas)

Candoia (Pacific boas)

Sub Family Erycinae

Compared to true boas, erycines are quite small, with most members remaining well under a metre in length. Fossil erycines have been found in rock strata over 50 million years old and were once widespread in North America. Now, only two species remain in North America, as well as the sand boas in Africa, Asia and southeastern Europe.

At least three erycine species lay eggs: the Calabar Boa, (Calabaria reinhardtii) (once classified as a python for this reason), the Arabian Sand Boa, (Eryx jayakari) and the West African Sand Boa, (Eryx muelleri).

The sub species are:

Eryx (Sand boas)

Gongylophis (Rough-tailed Sand Boa)

Charina (Rubber Boas)

Lichanura (Rosy boa, sometimes equated with Charina)

Calabarinae (Calabar Python, sometimes equated with Charina)

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Boa Constrictor Snake - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information

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Boa Constrictor The Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) resides in the Rainforests of Belize, Northern Mexico and Argentina in South America. There, it is known as 'Wowla' to the natives of Belize. Boa Constrictors can been seen throughout the forest and sometimes in off shore caves.

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Boa constrictors are large snakes that are found in the wild in South and Central America and Mexico. They live in a range of habitats, but prefer humid rainforest conditions. Some people even keep these big predators as pets! This page contains awesome boa constrictor facts for kids and adults. Read on to learn more about this fearsome rainforest snake ...
Boa Constrictor Information

Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family. This family of medium-to-large snakes is also known simply as the 'boa' family.

Boa constrictors have big, powerful bodies. Their green / brown colouration and varied markings provide excellent camouflage.

Boa constrictors are not venomous. They dispatch their prey by constricting it (squeezing it so that it can no longer breathe), before swallowing it whole.

There are currently 10 recognised subspecies of boa constrictor (but not all scientists agree that all of these are actually subspecies).

Boa constrictors live and hunt alone, and are mostly nocturnal.

King Of The Jungle?

Boa constrictors are large, heavy snakes, but they are not the biggest rainforest snakes: green anacondas are significantly larger.

How Big Are Boa Constrictors?

Female boa constrictors grow to around 10 feet (3 metres) in length, while males are smaller, growing to around 8 feet (2.5 metres).

Female boa constrictors weigh between 10 to 15 kg (22 to 33 lb) on average, with males weighing proportionally less.

They may not be the biggest snakes in the rainforest, but they're certainly not small! Boa constrictors considerably larger than this have been found.

The size that boa constrictors grow to depends on the availability of food. If food is plentiful, they can grow even larger. However, if food is sparse, boa constrictors may not reach these sizes.

The video below features Steve Irwin with an angry boa constrictor!

Boa Constrictor Skin Shedding

Boa constrictors grow quickly, and shed their skin at regular intervals (every 1-2 months). They continue to grow once they have reached maturity, but at a slower rate. The frequency at which they shed their skins roughly halves.

Where Do Boa Constrictors Live?

Boa constrictors are found all over South and Central America, in countries such as: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Belize, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina.

Boa constrictors are also found in Mexico.

Boa Constrictor Facts: Boa Constrictor Habitat

Boa constrictors can live in a wide range of habitats, including farmland, deserts and savannah. Rainforests offer a particularly suitable habitat, being the right temperature and humidity, and also offering a large amount of food.

Boa constrictors have been known to live in the abandoned burrows of medium-sized mammals. These offer the snakes protection from predators.

Boa constrictors will happily live in close proximity to human settlements.

Can Boa Constrictors Swim?

Boa constrictors are excellent swimmers, and are often found near streams and rivers. However, unlike green anacondas, boa constrictors spend most of their time on land. Boa constrictors also climb trees, particularly when young.

How Do Boa Constrictors Catch Their Prey?

Boa constrictors are ambush predators. They lie in wait for their victims to approach, then quickly strike, holding onto the prey with their fangs while wrapping their powerful bodies around the victim's body.

Boa constrictors do not 'crush the prey to death'. The boa suffocates its victim rather than crushing it. Before it is swallowed, the prey doesn't look noticeably damaged.

The snake constricts its victim until it has stopped breathing, then swallows it whole. The boa's mouth can open very wide allowing it to consume even fairly large animals.

The video below shows the constriction process.

If prey is scarce, boas will also hunt for food rather than lying in wait, using their heat sensitive scales to locate their prey.

What Do Boa Constrictors Eat?

Boa constrictors eat a wide range of prey, including birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. They can snatch birds and bats as they fly past.

The bigger the snake, the bigger the prey it will attempt to catch. Larger boa constrictors may even take monkeys and deer.

It can take several (4-6) days for a meal to be fully digested. Large items of food can be seen as bulges in the snake's belly. After eating, a boa constrictor will not need to eat again for several weeks, even months.

Boa Constrictor Predators

Boa constrictors may be big and fierce, but they're not at the top of the food chain. Even adult boa constrictors be preyed on by jaguars and caimans. Young boa constrictors face predation by birds, mammals and other reptiles.

Boa Constrictors Don't Lay Eggs!

Unlike some snakes, boa constrictors give birth to live young. When ready to reproduce, female boa constrictors emit a chemical that attracts males. Males will sometimes wrestle for the right to mate.

When born, boa constrictors are around 15-20 inches (38-51 cm) long. Females can give birth to up to 65 young at a time. The average number of young is 25. The newly-born snakes are fully independent from birth.

Boa Constrictor Facts For Kids (& Adults)

Female boa constrictors are larger than males.

The boa constrictor's scientific name is boa constrictor. It is unusual for a species' English name to be the same as its scientific name.

Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family of animals. This group is also known as the 'boas'.

Boa constrictors are also members of the subfamily Boinae. This subfamily also contains green anacondas, which means the two species are closely related.

Boa constrictors can be born without skin pigment. This condition is called 'albinism' and can also occur in humans.

A boa constrictor's bite is painful, but not deadly.

Boa constrictors hiss when irritated or threatened.

Boa constrictors raised in captivity can live up to 40 years.

Boa constrictors are hunted for their skins and also for their meat. However, they are not considered to be an endangered species.

Boa constrictors are used by humans to keep numbers of rodent pests down.

The largest recorded boa constrictor was 15 feet (5.5 metres) long.

We hope you enjoyed learning these boa anaconda facts. Visit our rainforest animals page to find out about more amazing animals.

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Boa Constrictor Facts For Kids & Adults. Info, Pictures, Video.

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Boa constrictors are large snakes that are found in the wild in South and Central America and Mexico. They live in a range of habitats, but prefer humid rainforest conditions. Some people even keep these big predators as pets! This page contains awesome boa constrictor facts for kids and adults.

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It's a good thing sloths don't have to go to school. They'd never make it on time. These drowsy tree-dwellers sleep up to 20 hours a day! And even when they are awake, they barely move at all. In fact, they're so incredibly sluggish, algae actually grows on their fur.

Sloths live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. With their long arms and shaggy fur, they resemble monkeys, but they are actually related to armadillos and anteaters. They can be 2 to 2.5 feet (0.6 to 0.8 meters) long and, depending on species, weigh from 8 to 17 pounds (3.6 to 7.7 kilograms).

There are two main species of sloth, identified by whether they have two or three claws on their front feet. The two species are quite similar in appearance, with roundish heads, sad-looking eyes, tiny ears, and stubby tails. Two-toed sloths are slightly bigger and tend to spend more time hanging upside-down than their three-toed cousins, who will often sit upright in the fork of a tree branch. Three-toed sloths have facial coloring that makes them look like they're always smiling. They also have two extra neck vertebrae that allow them to turn their heads almost all the way around!

Some scientists think sloths developed their slow-motion lifestyle so they would be less noticeable to predators such as hawks and cats, which rely heavily on their eyesight when hunting. The algae that grows on sloths' fur also helps them avoid predators by letting them blend in with green leaves. They rarely come down from the trees. About once every week, they descend to go to the bathroom, slowly moving about by digging their front claws into the dirt and dragging their bodies. If they are caught by a predator, sloths turn from sluggish to slugger, biting fiercely, hissing, slashing with their claws, and shrieking.

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It's a good thing sloths don't have to go to school. They'd never make it on time. These drowsy tree-dwellers sleep up to 20 hours a day! And even when they are awake, they barely move at all. In fact, they're so incredibly sluggish, algae actually grows on their fur.

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Sloths are tree-dwelling mammals that live in the rainforests of South and Central America. In this article, which is part of our Rainforest Animals series, we'll look at the sloth's life and habitat, and learn where it fits within the rainforest ecosystem. At the end is a list of sloth facts for kids.

Watch the videos further down the page to see sloths in the wild!

Sloth Facts At-A-Glance

Type of Animal: Mammal

Order: Pilosa

Number of Sloth Families: 2. Two-toed sloths (Megalonychidae) & three-toed sloths (Bradypodidae).

Number of Sloth Species: 6 (see below for descriptions & conservation status)

Where Found: Rainforests of Central and South America

Sloth Information

Sloths are arboreal (tree-dwelling) mammals that live in the rainforests of South and Central America. They are named after the deadly sin of sloth (which means laziness) because they move extremely slowly.

Sloths move so slowly that algae (plant-like organisms) grow in their fur! This is actually beneficial to sloths, as it gives them a slightly greenish color, helping them to blend in with their surroundings!

Sloths spend most of their lives in the trees, where they hang upside-down from branches and vines. Sloths eat, sleep, mate and even give birth while hanging around in the trees!

Due to the design of their feet and long, curved claws, sloths can hang upside down with little or no effort. This actually makes them a less appealing target for human hunters because even when shot, sloths remain hanging in the trees.

Sloths are mostly nocturnal, and sleep during the day.

6 Species, 2 Families

There are six species of sloth, divided between two families: two-toed sloths (Megalonychidae) and three-toed sloths (Bradypodidae).

You can tell the difference between the two families by counting how many 'fingers' they have. Two-toed sloths have two fingers; three-toed sloths have three.

Perhaps they should have been named two and three sloths; both families of sloths have three toes on their hind legs!

Two-toed Sloths (Megalonychidae family)

There are two species of two-toed sloth:

Two-toed sloths are slightly larger and faster-moving than three-toed sloths. They are around 60 cm - 70 cm (24 - 28″) in length, and weigh about 6 kg (13 pounds).

Three-Toed Sloths (Bradypodidae family)

There are four living species of three-toed sloth:

Three-toed sloths are smaller and slower than two-toed sloths. They grow to around 45 cm - 60 cm (18 - 24″) in length and weigh around 4 kg (9 pounds). Although their tails are longer than those of the two-toed sloths, they are still quite short, reaching 6-7 cm (2-3 in) in length.

Sloth Video

Watch this video to see a sloth in its natural habitat:

Sloth Facts: What Do Sloths Look Like?

Sloths have fairly small, thin bodies with short tails. Their heads are small and round, with short snouts, small ears, and large eyes surrounded by dark masks. The shape of their mouths gives them a permanent smiling expression!

Sloths have long, curved claws. These can grow to be up to 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 cm) long. Sloths use their claws to climb trees and to hook themselves onto branches.

The long limbs and claws of a sloth are designed for hanging and climbing, not for walking on the ground. Sloths have great difficulty getting around when on the floor, as this video shows ...

A Living Habitat!

The sloth's long, shaggy hair is home to algae, small plants and bugs such as moths and beetles. This is due to a combination of the sloth's slow speed and the warm, damp climate of the rainforest.

Sometimes the sloth will even lick algae and plants off of its fur as a snack!

What Do Sloths Eat?

Sloths are folivores (specialist leaf-eaters), and also eat buds and shoots. Their bodies and lifestyles reflect their diet. Leaves contain very little energy and are also low in nutrients. As a result, sloths have large and complex stomachs, which contain bacteria that break down the leaves.

It can take a sloth a month to completely digest a meal! Sloths climb down from the trees in order to urinate and defecate (poop!) only about once a week. The contents of a sloth's stomach account for as much as two-thirds of its body weight.

Because leaves contain very little energy, sloths have a low metabolism (the rate at which energy is used by an organism).

Two-toed sloths have been observed eating insects, lizards and birds in addition to plant matter.

How Fast (Slow?!?) Is A Sloth?

Sloths move extremely slowly, only managing to cover about 6 - 8 feet (1.8 - 2.4 meters) per minute.

As a (not very scientific) comparison, walking at your normal speed you'd probably be moving at about 275 feet (84 meters) per minute. That's close to the length of a standard soccer / football pitch.

So even when walking you're about 39 times faster than a sloth!

Deep Sleepers

Sloths spend most of their time either eating or sleeping. In the wild, sloths sleep between 9 and 15 hours a day.

Can Sloths Swim?

They may not be very good on the ground, but sloths are good swimmers. They use a lazy, doggy-paddle stroke to propel themselves through the water.

Watch the amazing video below to see a sloth swimming:

Keeping Cool

Due to their low metabolism, sloths have the lowest body temperature of any mammal, and can't shiver to keep warm.

Sloth Predators

Sloths are hunted by several rainforest animals, including jaguars, ocelots, harpy eagles, and green anacondas.

It's much easier for a predator to spot prey that is moving. Because sloths spend so much time either motionless or moving very slowly, they often avoid detection.

Sloths are very vulnerable when on the ground and tend to spend as little time as possible out of the safety of the trees.

When cornered or feeling threatened, sloths will lash out with their long front claws.

Additional Sloth Facts

Thousands of years ago, giant sloths roamed North America. These elephant-sized animals became extinct about 10,000 years ago.

Sloths eat, sleep, and live most of their lives hanging upside down.

If a sloth feels threatened it might put on a 'burst of speed' and travel at 13 ft. (4 m) per minute.

Sloths are mainly nocturnal, but some are also known to be diurnal (active during the day).

Sloth Activities For Kids

Think about what you can do to help stop deforestation and save the homes of rainforest animals. Write a short story about what you can to do to help save sloths' homes.

Gather some friends for a sloth race! Whoever crosses the finish line last is the winner!

Draw a picture of a sloth hanging out in the rainforest canopy. Don't forget to include the leaves, flower buds and twigs that sloths like to eat!

Check out the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

Discover More with Active Wild

We hope that you've enjoyed these sloth facts.

You can discover more amazing rainforest animals on this page: Rainforest Animals List with Pictures & Facts

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Sloth Facts For Kids & Adults: Pictures, Information & Video. Discover This Awesome Slow-Moving Rainforest Mammal.

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Sloths are tree-dwelling mammals that live in the rainforests of South and Central America. In this article, which is part of our Rainforest Animals series, we'll look at the sloth's life and habitat, and learn where it fits within the rainforest ecosystem. At the end is a list of sloth facts for kids.

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Sloths have the distinct title of being the slowest mammal on the Earth. Take a break from your day and visit with the sloth!

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Kiddle

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Spider monkeys are extremely quick, and they have long, thin fingers with almost no hair at all. Unlike other monkeys, they use their tail much more than their fingers, and their tails are longer than their bodies. These tails can grasp and pick things up.

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The brown-headed spider monkey has a prehensile tail, which means it can grasp and can be used like a fifth limb to grab trees. During the day, the spider monkey searches for fruit, which makes up the main part of its diet. They will also eat flowers, seeds, bark, leaves, and small insects during the dry season when fruit isn't available. They spend most of the daylight hours climbing and swinging through the high canopy of trees.

The brown-headed spider monkey lives in a large community of about 20 to 100 male and female monkeys. They split into smaller groups for feeding. Females usually give birth to only a single baby each year or two.

Young monkeys are carried on their mothers' stomachs until about 16 weeks old. Then they are strong enough to ride on their mothers' backs. All brown-headed spider monkey infants are born with a pink face and ears.

Spider monkeys hug each other and wrap their tails around each other. They are very intelligent and have robust memories.

They were named spider monkeys because they look like spiders as they hang upside down from their tails with their arms and legs dangling.

Their genus name is Ateles, which means "imperfect." This refers to the fact that they don't have thumbs.

Hunting the brown-headed spider monkey is now prohibited in Ecuador, but humans have killed them for their meat for hundreds of years.

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Spider monkeys have long, thin arms with hooklike hands that allow them to swing through the trees. They do not have opposable thumbs. The brown-headed spider monkey has a prehensile tail, which means it can grasp and can be used like a fifth limb to grab trees.

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Swing Through the Trees With Amazing Spider Monkeys

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May 12, 2015 - Spider monkeys have a prehensile tail, a fifth limb that plays an important role as they spend their days high up in the tropical forest canopy. As National Geographic grantee Andrés Link explains in this video showing spider monkeys in the Magdalena River Valley of Colombia, the monkeys use their tail for added safety as they grasp tree branches.

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Take your time. No, really take your time. It can take a slow-moving sloth up to a month to digest one meal!

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"Jaguars have never previously successfully been returned to the wild." Find out all about jaguars and how scientists are working to help their future.

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BrainPOP Jr. - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health, and Technology

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