Common Name: The animal chosen is the Atlantic Puffin, also known as the Common Puffin. Scientific Name: The scientific name of the Atlantic puffin is Fratercula Arctica. Puffins are part of the Auk family, classified as the Alcidae family. They belong to the order Charadriiformes, a diverse order of small to medium-sized birds that commonly live near water. (Some occupy deserts and rainforests.) Habitat: The puffin mates and raises its young in a burrow, usually in the ground between rocks on steep cliffs overlooking the ocean. By nesting in remote locations, the puffin avoids detection by predators. These burrows are usually about three feet long and are curved. At the back of the den, the parents create a nest of grasses, leaves and feathers for their young. Occasionally, the nest is left unlined. Puffins often designate a specific location for a bath. This is usually placed on the curve of the curved den. In an effort to keep the young clean, the parents regularly clean the nest. Interestingly, the puffin is also known to occupy empty rabbit burrows. Although this habitat is potentially more dangerous, many puffins survive in this nesting situation. Many of these islands are barren and have few or no land predators. Puffins live in the sea without mating or raising young. They glide across the water, swim on the ocean surface, and dive to depths of nearly 200 feet to forage for food. Puffins commonly spend the entire winter at sea. Young puffins spend two or three years at sea before returning to land to mate. Ecosystem: The Atlantic puffin's ecosystem contains a combination of both terrestrial, aerial and aquatic plants and animals. For the reef... center of the paper... puffins are relatively quiet creatures when at the surface. If puffins are disturbed by humans, they will leave their nests and never return. This has led to the extinction of puffin colonies in some parts of the European coast. When puffin chicks become mature enough to leave the nest, they will wait until nightfall to emerge. Often, upon first leaving the nest, the young puffin gets used to the surrounding environment and begins to descend the dangerous rock face. Once it reaches the bottom, it will travel rapidly out to sea. He leaves the island alone and will not return to earth for two or three years. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Puffin http://www. iucnredlist.org/details/22694927/0 http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/atlantic-puffin/ http://projectpuffin.audubon.org/puffin-faqs