Kids Glossary
The color or pattern of an animal's covering that is similar to the animal's surroundings, and therefore helps hide it. May also be related to smell, as in lions rolling in elephant dung to camouflage their scent.
An animal taxonomic group that includes dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals.
In mammals, the teeth next to the incisors that are used for holding prey and/or tearing meat.
The second-highest, spreading, branchy layer of trees in a rain forest.
The encouragement of breeding and reproduction among animals (particularly endangered ones) in a protected, captive setting for conservation purposes.
The maintenance of animals not in the free, wild state.
The shell covering the back (top) of a turtle, crab, or other animal.
A dead body. Tasmanian devils and vultures are some of the many animals that feed on a carcass.
A meat-eating animal; one who eats the flesh of other animals.
Carnivore diet consists mostly of ground beef and beef heart. It also contains additional amino acids, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. 61.8 tons of carnivore diet are used in one year at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park!
The remains of a dead animal that is then eaten by other animals, such as vultures and hyenas.
An enlargement of the back surface of the upper bill of a hornbill bird.
Referring to the tail.
A small, low island or emergent reef of sand or coral.
The tiny, basic unit of all living matter.
A turtle or tortoise.
Located in the nucleus of each cell of an organism, these structures carry the genes, or genetic information, of the individual.
A protective covering for an insect pupa or for the pupa of a butterfly.
An agreement between more than 85 countries that protects wild species, alive or dead, from being exported or imported. Anyone who violates the laws of this agreement faces severe penalties, including fines or jail time.
The <i>fingernails</i> of an animal, such as a bear or cat. They help to grab prey. In birds, they're called <i>talons.</i>
A body opening that serves both for excretion and for the reproductive organs in reptiles, amphibians, and birds, as well as many fish and some invertebrates.
The number of eggs produced or incubated at one time by an animal.
A silky covering spun by the larvae of many insects, such as silkworms, that protects them while they are in the pupal stage.
An animal whose body temperature changes with the temperature of the air or water around it, as a turtle or fish.
A group of the same kind of animal species living together.
Milk fluid of mammals formed during the first few days after giving birth. It is particularly rich in proteins, including antibodies.
To exchange information using symbols, signs, actions, or vocal sounds/The act of exchanging information.
A group of living things that are generally found together within an ecosystem.
A situation that occurs when living things occupying the same area need the same resources for survival.
A mix of decaying plants and other organic matter added to soil in order to enrich the soil for planting.
Training an animal to accept a certain pattern of behavior.
A cone-producing tree or shrub with needle-like leaves.
The wise use, care, and protection of natural resources, including plants and animals.
Of the same species.
To squeeze.
A snake that kills its prey by grabbing the animal and quickly wrapping two or three coils around it. The force of constriction (squeezing) prevents the prey from breathing, and it usually dies within seconds. The snake can then relax its grip and swallow.
