Abiotic: non-living things in an environment (Examples include fire, water, longitude, latitude, the amount of sunlight, starlight, moon-shine, soil, rock, location and climate.)

Abiotic Factor: any one of the "non-living" things that affect the ecosystem

Adapt: to change to meet the conditions of the surrounding environment

Adaptation: specific ways in which an organism (living thing) has changed to meet the needs of its environment

Aestivate: similar to hibernation (The organism, plant or animal, enters a dormant state to pass through a long, hot, dry spell. Hibernation is the cold weather equivalent.)

Algae: a single-celled, plant-like organism

Algal Bloom: the rapid growth of algae in a lake or other body of water

Alkaline: containing an unusual amount of soluble mineral salts such as chlorides, sulfates, carbonates, bicarbonates of sodium, potassium and magnesium (These "salts" are all important to maintaining a healthy body.)

Alkalinity: salty

Alpine: occurring at high altitude, between the tree line and the permanent snow line

Ambush: a method of hunting that involves hiding and waiting for prey to come to the hunter

Amphibian: an animal that has skin, a backbone and is cold-blooded (Most amphibians lay eggs and go through a larval stage such as the tadpoles of a frog.)

Anapsids: a reptile group that includes turtles that have no skull openings behind the eye.

Anthropologist: a scientist who studies anthropology (A paleo-anthropologist studies prehistoric humans. A social anthropologist studies living societies.)

Anthropology: the study of human beings

Antler: a bony structure found on the head of deer

Annuals: plants that grow, reproduce and die in the space of a single year

Arboreal: living in or mainly in trees

Archosaurs: a major group of reptiles that includes dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles and birds

Artiodactyl: any hoofed animal

Asynchronously: in regard to birds, this term means that eggs in a clutch hatch one or two days apart from each other

Atmosphere: the envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth (It consists of the following gases: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, less than 1% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide and small quantities of other less well known gases.)

Avoidance: behavior that allows an animal to escape danger or conflict

Bacteria: a diverse group of single-celled organisms

Bark: the protective layer of trees and bushes

Behavior: what living things do

Biologist: a scientist who studies biology

Biology: the study of living things

Biomass: the weight (mass) of living things in an area

Biome: a vegetation type with its associated animal life that is defined by its life forms

Biotic: living things in the environment including animals, plants, fungi and single-celled organisms

Biotic factors: organisms that live in, and interact with, the environment

Bipinnate leaves: small leaves are arranged in pairs, one on either side of the stem

Blood: the fluid in which nutrients, oxygen and waste products are dissolved and carried around the body

Boss: refers to the place where horns meet on the heads of some animals i.e. African buffalo

Botanist: a scientist who studies botany

Botany: the study of plants

Bovidae: the cattle, sheep, goat and antelope family

Browse: food eaten by a browser, tree leaves, twigs and branches

Browser: an animal that eats tree leaves, twigs and branches

Cactus: mainly American tropical and sub-tropical plants adapted to arid conditions

Calcium: a metallic element required for bone and shell growth

Calorie: a measure of the energy available in food (Calorie with a capital C stands for 1,000 calories and is the measure used in this book. One Calorie = 4.182 Kilojoules. A calorie is also a measure of the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of water one degree Celsius.)

Camouflage: coloration or patterns that allow animals to hide in their environment

Canadian Shield: an area of granite rock that encircles all but the northern portion of Hudson’s Bay (It consists of some of the oldest rock in the world.)

Canine teeth: the sharp, pointed teeth of mammals. Humans, monkeys, apes and carnivores all have canine teeth.

Canopy: the upper story of the forest

Carbon: a non-metallic element that is the basis for all life

Carbon dioxide: a colorless, odorless gas that plays an important role in the biosphere (the region on Earth where all life is found) (A waste product of respiration and used in photosynthesis)

Carcass: the remains of a dead animal

Carnassial teeth: a large, long cutting tooth found in mammalian carnivores

Carnivore: commonly used to describe any meat-eater, it also refers to a specific group of related mammals (bears, raccoons, hyena, cats, dogs, weasels, mongooses)

Carrion: the remains of a dead animal

Cartographer: a map-maker

Cellulose: the framework of cell walls in a plant

Chernozem: the soil type found in most temperate grasslands; black in color

Chlorophyll: a light absorbing molecule that helps photosynthesis

Climate: the average weather conditions of a region

Climatologist: a scientist who studies the Earth’s climate

Climax vegetation: vegetation that is stable and not changing

Coalition: a small group of lions or other cats that works together to take over a group

Cohort: a group of lions (or an other species) of the same generation (age)

Common: the species is not threatened or of concern

Cold-blooded: animals which do not control their body temperature but which rely on the temperature of their surroundings

Competition: a type of behavior that goes on between two or more living things that require the same resource (food, water, mate, space)

Condensation: the process in which water vapor forms water droplets due to cooling

Continental Drift: the constant movement of the Earth's plates

Conservation: protecting our natural resources, including animals, from being destroyed

Consumer: an organism that must eat or consume another organism for its food or energy

Coursers: an animal that runs down its prey

Courtship: behavior that goes on prior to mating

Crèche: a group of young animals all around the same age that herd together

Cretaceous Period: the third period of dinosaur rule from 135 to 65 million years ago

Cud: the thicker material that floats to the top of the rumen; the material a ruminant re-chews

Deciduous: referring to a family of trees that have broad leaves which are lost every autumn (An example would be the maple or the beech.)

Decomposers: organisms that break down the remains of living things into their basic elements

Deer family: a family of mammals whose members share common traits: eating plants, having two toes on each foot and whose male members grow antlers

Detris: the partially decomposed remains of living things

Detritiovres: organisms that feed on detris (the partially decomposed remains of living things)

Dewlap: a flap of loose skin found on some mammals i.e. eland, African cattle and moose

Diapsids: a reptile group, including dinosaurs, crocodiles, snakes and birds that has a pair of skull openings immediately behind the eye socket

Diatomite: a group of single-celled algae with silica walls and forming filaments and colonies (eaten by flamingos)

Dinosaur: a special type of land-living reptile with an erect gait; a member of the Archosaur group that lived between 224 million and 65 million years ago

Digest: to go through the process of digestion

Digestion: the process by which complex molecules in food are broken down and absorbed into the body and used as energy sources

Diurnal: active during the day

Dominance: to be higher ranked (as in the bull is dominant over the cow) or to be more common (as in grasses are the dominant species)

Dominance order: many animals have a pecking order that determines which animal is stronger and able to move other members of its species away from a choice resource (That desired "resource" might be shade, food or a breeding female.)

Drought: a long period without any rainfall

Ecological unit (also eco-unit): an area defined for study by scientists as a complete ecosystem (Tanzania’s Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is an example.)

Ecology: the study of living things and their relationship to each other and their environment

Ecologist: a scientist who studies the ecology of an ecosystem

Ecosystem: a complex system of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things in a specific area (e.g. The Boreal Forest of North America)

Ecotones: the area where two ecosystems or environments meet i.e. the edge of a forest and a grassland

Efficiency: the measure of how well something uses the energy it receives [It is calculated by dividing the Energy Output of an organism (or machine) by the Energy Input. The formula for this is Ef = Eo/Ei. The answer will always be less than one. It is impossible (so far) to get more energy out than you put in.]

Endangered: likely to become extinct

Endangered Species: living things that may become extinct in the near future unless given immediate help and protection

Endothermic: warm-blooded; being able to produce body heat and maintain a constant temperature

Equator: an imaginary line running east and west around the center of the Earth (It divides the Earth into two equal halves or hemispheres. The equator is 0 degrees latitude.)

Estrus cycle (also Oestrous cycle): the hormonally controlled reproductive cycle in many female mammals

Ethologist: a scientist who studies ethology

Ethology: the study of animal behavior

Evaporate: to convert to vapor (a gas)

Evolution: change over time

Evolve: to change to meet the needs of the changing environment

Excretion: a waste product, the result of metabolism it may include urine, feces or gases

External parasite: flies, insects and other "bugs" which live on the blood of an animal, or which lay their eggs on its hide or in its nose

Extirpated: extinct in a specific location, but not extinct as a species

Extinction: a species no longer capable of reproducing; a species that no longer exists

Fawn: a baby deer

Fermentation: the step by step breakdown of glucose (sugars) or other organic molecules under oxygen-free conditions to yield energy

Fertile: 1) capable of producing many crops as in "fertile land" 2) capable of producing offspring as in "the bull elephant was fertile" 3) capable of growing to maturity and producing offspring as in "the seed was fertile"

Fix: to change into an available form

Flehem: curling of the upper lip of mammals (usually, but not always, males) when exposed to urine; usually done during the mating season

Flight distance: the distance at which an animal will run from danger, it varies with the species and the predator that is hunting it

Food chain: consists of three levels; plant, plant-eater and meat-eater (there may be more than one level of meat-eater)

Food pyramid: compares the living weight of each level in an ecosystem (see food chain)

Food web: more complex than a food chain but made up of the same levels (It consists of several food chains all on the same diagram.)

Forage: food eaten by grazing animals (i.e., grass)

Gastroliths: tummy stones, used for grinding food (found in ostriches and crocodiles as well as several other species of birds)

Genus: animals, plants and all living things are classified by scientists in the following manner:

Geographer: one who studies geography

Geography: the study of the Earth’s surface and its related physical, biological and cultural features

Geologist: a scientist who studies geology

Geology: the study of Earth’s rocks, minerals and physical formations

Germinate: to grow from a seed

Granite: a hard, coarse grained igneous rock

Grass: any of 9,000 species in the monocotyledonous family Poaceae (These plants have leaf sheaths split lengthwise on the opposite side of the blade. The stem is cylindrical and hollow between the nodes. Grasses are wind pollinated.)

Grassland: an area, usually extensive, dominated by grasses

Grazer: an large animal that eats primarily grass

Grooming: care of the body

Habitat: the surroundings in which an organism lives

Habitat loss: the prime cause of species disappearing on Earth

Hackles: the long hair on the neck of a mammal

Hemisphere: the world is divided into halves (north of the equator is the northern hemisphere; south of the equator is the southern hemisphere)

Herbivore: a plant eater

Hibernation: the winter sleep of animals (Bears go into a deep sleep and may not wake at all. Groundhogs enter a period of dormancy, where their heart pumps only a few times a minute.)

Hierarchy: the social order of animals

Hominid: human ancestor

Hormone: a group of chemicals released by the body which control growth and sexual maturity

Hyrax: a rodent-like animal found in Africa (It is about the size of a large rabbit.)

Igneous Rock: rocks formed under great heat and pressure below the surface of the Earth

Imprinted: an animal whose memory retains certain experiences in life (e.g. the sound of its parent's call, the smell of its baby, the scent of the river in which it was hatched)

Imprinting: the process by which an animal learns characteristics of its family and surroundings

Incubate: to sit on an egg and keep it at a constant temperature (During hot days this means shading it to keep it cool. During cool nights it means keeping it warm.)

Ingestion: the process the eating or consuming of food

Internal parasite: an organism that lives inside another organism (It usually does some harm, but usually does not kill its host. Examples are brain worms, bacteria, round worms.)

Inter-species competition: the term given to competition between two or more different species (e.g. lion versus spotted hyena, wildebeest versus lion, grass against tree)

Intra-specific competition: the competition between members of the same species (e.g. lion against lion, zebra versus zebra)

Introduced: a species that has been returned to an area where it was extirpated or into an area where it was never found

Jackal: a member of the dog family found in Africa and Asia (It is larger than a fox but smaller than a coyote.)

Jurassic Period: the second period of dinosaur rule (Mesozoic Era) from 200 to 135 million years ago

Keratin: a tough fibrous protein that looks like matted hair (Rhino horns are made of keratin.)

Kopje: (pronounced "copy") a rocky granite outcrop that emerges from the volcanic layers of the plain

Kilojoule: the unit in which scientists measure energy (A calorie is equal to 4.2 kilojoules.)

Larva: the immature wingless form of many insects

Legume: the common name for a plant family (They make up the third largest order of flowering plants. There are some 18,000 species. Legumes are the second most important group of plants economically. Only the grasses are more important to human beings.)

Lemur: a primitive family of primates, confined to the island of Madagascar.

Lice: (singular louse) any of a large group of small, wingless insects

Lines of Latitude: imaginary lines running east and west and measuring location north and south of the equator

Lungworm: a type of primitive creature that lives inside other animals for most of its existence (Lungworms are also a type of roundworm.)

Marine: having to do with the ocean

Marsupial: a primitive mammal that gives pre-mature birth to its young and then nurses it in a pouch i.e. kangaroos, opossums are marsupials

Mating: the breeding of a male and female pair of one species

Matriarchal: refers to groups where females lead the social unit

Mean: average

Mesozoic Period: "Middle Life"; it lasted from 225-64 million years ago

Migrate: to move from one place to another, usually for food or to mate

Minerals: chemicals found in the ground that are necessary for healthy bodies

Monogamous: pairs of animals that remain attached to each other and do not seek mates elsewhere

Musth: a state of heightened aggression and sexual activity among male elephants

Niche: the role an organism fills in an ecosystem

Nutrients: chemicals found in food which are necessary for a healthy body

Oestrous cycle: (also estrus cycle) the hormonally controlled reproductive cycle in many female mammals

Omnivore: (adj. omnivorous) an animal that eats both plant and animal matter (Humans are omnivores.)

Order: a taxonomic ranking between the rankings of class and family. All organisms within an order will share similar characteristics (see also Genus)

Oxygen: a gas vital to most life forms on Earth; a waste product of photosynthesis

Paleontologist: a scientist who studies paleontology

Paleontology: the study of prehistoric life

Parasite: a plant or animal that lives off another living thing and does it harm (e.g. Fungi)

Parasitic: the act of harmfully living off of another organism without benefiting it in any way

Patriarchal: refers to groups where males lead the social unit

Percolate: when water passes through the grains of soil

Perissodactyl: any hoofed animal of the odd-toed ungulates (horses, rhinoceroses, tapirs)

Photosynthesis: the process by which plants convert the sun’s energy into plant matter

Poaching: the illegal killing or taking of an animal for food or profit

Polygamous: a male (or female) who may have several mates

Polygyny: a male with one dominant female and a few subordinate female mates

Population: the number of one species living in a given area

Precipitation: rain or other forms of moisture falling from the sky

Precocial: able to be very independent from birth

Predation: behavior that involves one species killing and eating another

Predator: an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food

Preen: to smooth and groom

Prehensile: specially adapted to curl around and grab objects

Prey: an animal that is hunted by a predator

Primate: an animal belong to the Order Primates which includes monkeys and apes and man

Producer: an organism capable of making the complex compounds necessary for life (In the case of plants, this is done by photosynthesis)

Protein: the building blocks of life; any of a class of highly complex nitrogenous (nitrogen-based) organic compounds originally synthesized (made by plants) and after hydrolysis by enzymes, into amino acids, forming an essential part of the processes of animal metabolism

Range: the area in which a species can be found

Rain shadow: Mountain ranges cause moisture laden air masses to drop their rain and snow as they climb over the mountains. As the air descends, it warms and picks up moisture, dropping very little. This is known as a rain shadow. It is an abiotic factor.

Rain forest: a forest where precipitation is very high

Receptive: in this case it refers to a female that is willing to accept a mate.

Respiration: the process in plants and animals whereby oxygen is taken from the air and/or water and carbon dioxide is released as a waste byproduct

Rodents: a family of mammals which have large front teeth used for gnawing

Roundworm: a type of primitive creature that lives inside other animals for most of its existence (lungworms are also a type of roundworm)

Rumen: the first stomach of a ruminant

Ruminant: a mammal that chews a cud such as cattle, deer, sheep, goats, antelope

Savannah: a tropical grassland with sparse trees

Saline: containing salt

Sea Stacks: the small, steep-sided islands that rise out of the ocean

Sexual dimorphism: refers to the difference in size between one sex and another in a given species. In some species males are larger (i.e. elephants), in others females are (i.e hyenas) and in some they are about the same size (i.e. geese)

Scavenger: any animal that lives off the dead remains of plants and animals

Social anthropologist: an anthropologist who studies groups of people and their society

Species: organisms that can reproduce their own kind (see also Genus) (A distinct animal or plant group that shares similar characteristics and can produce offspring within its group.)

Species of Concern: a species that scientists feel might be threatened or that could become threatened but for which there is little data or research available

Spinal chord: backbone

Spore: the reproductive cell (or a few cells) of fungi as well as all plants and bacteria

Stereo-vision: this refers to the ability to see in three dimensions (Cats, dogs, and primates, including humans, all have this ability. It helps these animals to judge distance. This is especially important for hunting animals.)

Succession: a process of gradual change in which one wildlife community replaces another

Suckling: the feeding behavior of very young mammals as they get milk from their mother’s teats

Symbiosis: (symbiotic) a close association between two species that benefits both species

Symbiotic microorganisms: small bacteria that are necessary for the health of their host and do not harm their host

Temporal glands: glands located on the side of an elephant’s head (They release a liquid that streams down the animal’s cheeks. The exact function is not known but the flow appears to increase during social interactions.)

Temperate: a climate that is moderate throughout the year [located between the Arctic Circle (66°33’N) and the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S) and the Antarctic Circle (66°33’S)]

Termitaries: the mound or structures built by termites

Territorial: a behavior related to acquiring a territory

Territory: an area that an animal claims and defends as its own (Territories usually contain the food, water and shelter the animal needs. In the case of a female, it must also provide for her offspring.)

Thermals: hot air rising vertically

Threatened: a species that may become endangered if immediate action is not taken to save it

Tree: a woody plant over 2 meters tall, typically with one trunk

Triassic Period: the first period of the Mesozoic Era (It lasted from 225-200 million years ago. Dinosaurs first appeared here.)

Trophic level: a feeding level in a food chain

Tropic: usually a warm to hot climate; the zone between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S)

Ungulate: any mammal that has hooves

Urinate: passing urine

Urine: a liquid waste product of the body; a fluid excreted by the kidneys

Velvet: the layer of skin covering the growing antlers of a deer

Volcano: the mountain created by the force of magma pushing through the Earth’s crust

Vulnerable: a species that may become threatened if action is not taken to help it

Weaned: refers to an animal that no longer needs its mother's milk and can eat the normal food for its species

  
  Copyright © 1999
  Dave Taylor & James Cash
  All rights reserved.