Kids Glossary
Meaning <i>thick skin,</i> this term usually refers to elephants, but can also apply to hippos.
Front and rear feet taking a step simultaneously on the same side of the body.
An organism that lives in, on, or with another animal (called a host), getting what it needs to survive from that host.
The coat of a mammal, such as its wool, fur, or hair.
A plant that renews its top growth seasonally, living for an indefinite number of years.
A plant or animal that humans believe to be harmful or annoying.
A chemical used to kill insects.
The process by which green plants utilize sunlight to make food from carbon dioxide and water.
To remove or bind the wing feathers of a bird to prevent flight.
An animal classification order, from the Latin words meaning <i>feather feet,</i> as all pinnipeds have four flippers. Seals, sea lions, and walrus belong in this classification.
Fish-eating.
Tiny organisms that float or weakly swim in the ocean.
Any living thing that is not an animal. Plants live on sunlight and water instead of food. Plants generally cannot move on their own, and are not able to smell, hear, see, or touch.
A way of walking on the soles of the feet, including the heels. Examples of animals that walk this way are bears and humans.
The shell covering the underside (bottom) of a turtle or other animal.
The illegal hunting or taking of wildlife out of its natural habitat/One who illegally hunts or takes wildlife out of its natural habitat for personal gain.
Fine, powdery, yellowish grains that are the fertilizing element of flowering plants.
An animal, such as an insect or bird, that picks up pollen from a flower when it lands or feeds on the flower, and then deposits it on another flower when it stops to land or feed again.
Harmful substances deposited in the air, water, or on land, leading to a state of dirtiness, impurity, or unhealthiness.
Having more than one mate at a single time.
The number of a kind of animal that lives in a place. For example, San Francisco has a big seagull population; New York City has a population of several million people.
The number of persons who inhabit a unit area (usually per square mile).
The increase in the number of people (births over deaths) in a given area.
Young that are born or hatched fully able to care for themselves. Baby chickens are precocial.
An animal that hunts and kills other animals for its food.
In birds, to clean, trim, and smooth feathers with the beak or bill.
Refers to a body part that can be used like a hand for grasping or holding.
An area restricted for the protection and preservation of animals, plants, or other natural resources.
Noun: An animal that is hunted as food by another animal. Verb: To attempt to take an animal for food.
Members of the most highly developed order of animals, including humans, monkeys, and apes.
Organisms, such as plants, which are food sources for other organisms.
Established procedures or rules for certain activities. For example, there are strict protocols for keepers when they work with monkeys.
Parrots and their relatives.
The stage between the larva and the adult in animals that have complete metamorphosis.
