▶ Your Answer :
There is an ample support for the author's claim that there
are many lots of theories why toucans have their bills. However, the professor
in the lecture gives several reasons as a rebuttal to the author's point.
First, the professor contends that the bill is useless to
attack because it is made of a hollow bone even though it is keen. The
professor says that the bone of the bill would be harder if its purpose were to
strike predators. This counters the reading passage's assertion that the bill
can serve as a weapon since it has a sharp edge in order to keep themselves
from enemies.
Second, the professor insists that it is highly doubtful
that the bill is used to hide themselves with a variety of colors of the bill.
It is because they usually form a small flock and make a loud noise to talk to
each other, so they are easily detected by predators. To put it this way, if
they wanted to conceal themselves with the bill from their predators, they
should not have made any noise and live in a group, which are highly
noticeable. This refutes the reading passage's suggestion that the bill helps
the toucans camouflage because the colors of the bill are similar to trees in
their habitats.
Finally, the professor argues that they do not need the bill
to cool them down. To be more specific, toucans with a small bill have no issue
with temperature. Moreover, if the bill helped them release heat, they would
have a hard time keeping them warm at night. This casts doubts on the reading
passage's idea that since they are live in hot weather, they should give off
heat by using the bill which has a wide surface.
18mins
295words
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