Zoology+Glossary

__**GLOSSARY** OF Zoological Terms__

1. AMPHIBIAN - class of vertebrates that are cold blooded, have soft, moist skin, usually undergo a metamorphosis and are generally born in water from eggs. Most live on land, but usually near water when grown. 2. AQUATIC - growing or living in or upon water. 3. DECOMPOSERS - organisms (bacteria and fungi) in an ecosystem or food web that convert dead organic material into nutrients. 4. ECTOTHERMIC (EKTO-ther-mik) - cold blooded (body temperature regulated by behavioral means like basking in the sun). 5. ENDANGERED SPECIES - species that without man’s positive intervention may become extinct. 6. EXTINCTION - no longer existing 7. HABITAT - the place where a particular organism or population normally lives. 8. INVERTEBRATE - an animal without a backbone. 9. METAMORPHOSIS - a marked and relatively abrupt change in an animal during early development. 10. RANGE - the geographical area throughout which an animal may be found. 11. SPECIES - a group of plants or animals whose members are very nearly alike and can interbreed. 12. SPECEIS OF SPECIAL CONCERN (SSC) – a Florida species that is not endangered or threatened, but is especially vulnerable to exploitation or environmental changes and is experiencing a long-term population decline. This term can also apply to animals that have an impact on the well being of other animals. 13. SPECEIS SURVIAL PLAN (SSP) – orderly, managed, master breeding programs for an individual species. 14. SUBSPECIES - a subdivision of a species usually based upon geographic distribution. 15. TAXON - A general term for a taxonomic category, e.g., class, order and species are //taxa// (pl.). 16. THREATENED SPECIES - a species that, without proper management, could become endangered. 17.VERTEBRATE - animal with a backbone. 18. CARAPACE – the domed top of a turtle shell composed of two layers: a) inner body of interlocking plates including the vertebrae and ribs and b) a covering of horny scutes. 19. CLOACA - A chamber present in most vertebrates (except most of the mammals) into which the urinary, intestinal, and reproductive tracts empty. The cloaca may function in some organisms as a respiratory duct. 20. COLD BLOODED (ectothermic or poikilothermic (POI-kill-o-THER-mik) - animals that have body temperatures that vary with the surrounding environmental temperature. Ectothermic means that the animal controls its body temperature behaviorally to keep it in a fairly narrow range like terrestrial reptiles. Poikilothermic means that the temperature of the animal is based entirely on its surroundings, fish are poikilothermic. 21. CREPUSCULAR (kre-PUSS-kya-lar) - most active in the twilight (dawn and/or dusk). 22. CROCODILIANS – members of the order //Crocodilia// including the crocodile, alligator, caiman and gavial. 23. DIURNAL (die-YER-nal) - active in the daytime, as opposed to nocturnal, meaning active during the night. 24. HEMOTOXIC (HE-moe-tox-ik) – affecting the blood and circulatory systems as in some snake venoms. 25. HERPETOLOGY - The study of reptiles and amphibians. 26. HERPETARIUM - A building housing reptiles and amphibians. 27. INCUBATION - To maintain eggs, organisms or living tissue so as to promote embryonic development and hatching of young. 28. LEUCISTIC - tendency to be white when compared to the normal color phase. 29. NEUROTOXIC (NEW-ro-tox-ik) – affecting the nervous system, as in some snake venoms. 30. NOCTURNAL - Active at night. 31. OVIPAROUS - producing eggs that develop outside the body. 32. OVOVIVIPAROUS - producing eggs that hatch within the female’s body without obtaining nourishment from it. This gives the appearance of live birth. 33. PIT VIPER - venomous snake characterized by presence of a heat sensing facial pit between the eye and nostril 34. PLASTRON – the lower part of the turtle shell, covered with horny epidermal plates and joined to the carapace by a bridge between the legs. In some families it is hinged. 35. REPTILES - class of vertebrates that are cold blooded, have scales or shells, generally lay eggs on land and live on land or in water. 36. SCUTE - an external bony or horny plate or scale, as on the shell of turtles. 37. TURTLE - a land, fresh-water or marine reptile having the body enclosed in a bony shell. 38. VENOMOUS - able to inflict a toxic bite or sting. Venom is injected. 39. VESTIGIAL - a degenerate part or organ more highly developed in previous generations. 40. VIVIPAROUS – Bearing live young that have developed and been nourished within the mother’s body.
 * Part 1:**

1. ALTRICIAL – Being hatched or born in a very immature and helpless condition so as to require care for some period of time. 2. BIRD - class of vertebrates that are warm blooded, have feathers and lay eggs. 3. BIRDS OF PREY (Raptors) - hawks, eagles and owls. Birds that prey on other animals. 4. CARRION - dead and decaying flesh. 5. ENDOTHERMIC (N-do-THER-mik) - warm-blooded animals, they have a constant or almost constant body temperature. 6. HERBIVORE (HER-buh-vore) - animal that eats plants. 7. MONOGAMOUS - taking one mate for life. 8. OMNIVORE (AHM-nuh-vore) - an animal that eats both plants and animals. 9. PRECOCIAL – Ability to care for itself. 10.RATITES – a flightless running bird that has no keel on its sternum for example ostriches, rheas and emus are ratites. 11.SCAVENGER - animal that eats dead animals. 12.STEREOSCOPIC VISION- found in animals with eyes situated on the sides of the head resulting in a wide field of view; seen in animals that are prey species like deer. 13.TALONS - the claws of a bird of prey. 14.WARM BLOODED - (homeothermic [HO-mee-oh-THER-mik] or endothermic) - those animals that can internally regulate their body temperature. 15.ZYGODACTYL FOOT – in birds, in which two toes point forwards, and two to the rear, found in parrots and woodpeckers and other types of birds. 16.PREDATOR - an animal or plant that eats animals. 17.PREY - an animal hunted by a predator. 18.BINOCULAR VISION – found in animals with eyes pointing forward on the head, the result is good depth perception; often seen in primates and predators. 19.DIASTEMA - a gap or space between two teeth. 20.ENVIRONMENT - surroundings in which an organism lives. 21.ADAPTATION (add-ap-TAY-shun) - adjustment to meet certain environmental changes. 22.SYMBIOSIS – a mode of life where two different organisms live in close association with each other. This relationship may be beneficial to one (commensalisms) to both (mutualism) or may be harmful to one partner (parasitism). 23.INDIGENOUS (in-DIDGE-eh-ness) - born, growing or produced naturally in a region; native to that region. 24.EXOTIC - A foreign or imported non-native, unfamiliar animal or plant. 25.BIODIVERSITY - the diversity of all living things, including life patterns and processes. 26.DIMORPHISM - difference in characteristics within a species such as coloration, size or shape. 27.SEXUAL DIMORPHISM (die-MORE-fizz-m) - difference in appearance between two animals of the same species based on sex. 28.TERRESTRIAL (teh-RESS-tree-all) - living on the ground. 29.HIBERNATION - dormant state assumed by certain animals during the winter. The animal’s system slows down, conserving energy and making the animal completely dormant. 30.ZOOLOGY - The scientific study of animals.
 * Part II**

1. BROWSE - to eat leaves, twigs and branches. 2. CANIDAE - the family of mammals that includes dogs, wolves, jackals and foxes. 3. CANINE - any animal of the family //Canidae//. 4. CARNASSIALS – a modified premolar or molar tooth, commonly the lower first molar and the upper last premolar, giving them a scissor-like shearing action used for cutting flesh 5. //CARNIVORA// - an order of mammals that includes canines, felines, mustelids and many others. 6. CARNIVORE (KAR-nuh-vore) - a flesh-eating animal or insectivorous plant; a member of the order //Carnivora//. 7. COTERIE - a small group of animals living in very close association. 8. DENTITION - The type, number and arrangement of a set of teeth. 9. ESTRUS - The period of a female animal’s sexual receptivity. 10. FELINE - any animal of the cat family. 11. GESTATION PERIOD - time required for offspring to develop inside the mother before birth. 12. GRAZE - to eat grass. 13. HOOFSTOCK - Animals having a horny covering protecting the toes or encasing the foot. 14. INSECTIVORE (in-SEK-tuh-vore) - any animal or plant that feeds primarily on insects or a member of the order //Insectivora.// 15. INBREEDING - The continued breeding of closely related individuals. 16. MAMMALS - class of vertebrates that are warm blooded, have hair and produce milk for their young; most bear live young. 17. MARSUPIAL – A mammal, usually having a placenta, whose young are born very immature after a short gestation period. They then continue to develop outside the mother generally within a pouch (marsupium). 18. POLYGAMOUS (puh-LIG-ah-mus) - having more than one mate. 19. TERRITORY - section of land, water or air, claimed by an animal as its domain. 20. ECOLOGY - the study of the interactions of organisms with their physical environment and each other. 21. ECOSYSTEM - all the organisms living in a common environment and all their surroundings. 22. ORGANISM - Any living individual creature. 23. AZA - American Zoo and Aquarium Association. 24. CAP – Conservation Action Partnership, and AZA committee set up to coordinate the conservation and scientific efforts of AZA institutions. 25. CITES - Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species. Over 100 countries have signed a standards agreement under the authority of this group. Protected species are divided into three groups according to degrees of threat facing them. 26. ISIS - International Species Information System. A software data system that keeps track of the data on individual animals. 27. TAG - Taxon Advisory Group. A group of individuals who evaluate and recommend solutions for entire //taxa// or groups of animals.
 * Part 3**


 * Part 4:**

1. ALTRICIAL – Young born naked, helpless and needing the care of parents for survival. 2. ANTHROPOMORPHIC (AN-throw-po-MORPH-ik) - tendency to endow animals with human emotions, feelings and reactions. 3. APE - large tailless primates that may be terrestrial or arboreal. These include gibbons, orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas. 4. BRACHIATION (BRAY-kee-a-shun) - swinging from branch to branch using hands as hooks. 5. CATHEMERAL - active periodically throughout the day and night, as with some lemurs. 6. ENRICHMENT - Providing activities and objects to enhance environments. 7. FRAGMENTATION - Separation of populations into small groups. 8. ISCHIAL CALLOSITY - A fatty sitting pad on the ischium (hind end) of Old World monkeys and gibbons. 9. MELANISTIC (mel-uh-NIS-tik) - tendency to be very dark or black, compared to the normal color phase. 10. MONKEY - any of the primates except man, the apes and prosimians. 11. PRECOCIAL – Young born with down/fur, eyes open and soon able to move about and feed themselves. 12. PRIMATES - order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, prosimians and man. 13. PROSIMIANS (pro-SIMM-ee-ens) - relatively primitive Old World primates that include lemurs. Literally means "before monkeys". 14. RODENT - A mammal that has constantly growing incisor teeth adapted for gnawing or nibbling. 15. PREHENSILE (pree-HEN-sill) - a body part (like a tail or tongue) that can be used for grasping. 16. KEYSTONE SPECIES - An important animal in the ecosystem upon which other animals depend. 17. ARBOREAL (are-BOR-ee-al) - tree dwelling. 18. PROTECTIVE COLORATION - the solid color of an animal that helps it blend in with its surroundings. 19. PROTECTIVE MIMICRY - the tendency of animals to look like another animal or some object in its environment. 20. FOOD WEB - a sequence of organisms, including producers, consumers and decomposers through which energy and materials move within an ecosystem. 21. OLD WORLD - Asia. Africa, Europe and Australia (the Eastern Hemisphere) 22. NEW WORLD - the continents and islands of the Western Hemisphere (N., C. and S. America). 23. NICHE (NICH) - the position (role or job) held by a species in the community of which it is a part.


 * __Zoological / Ecological Terms__**

__NATURAL SELECTION__

Natural selection is a process where environmental pressures act upon the individuals of a species, and the ones best suited to the current environmental pressures survive to reproduce. Natural selection also works on the species level whereby the more individuals of a species that survive the better the chances that the entire species will survive.

__ARTIFICIAL SELECTION__

Unnatural pressures can be used to alter a population’s average and produce extremes. Breeding of collies with a long narrow nose or chickens with 20 foot tail feathers are examples.

__DIVERGENT EVOLUTION__

Divergent evolution is a type of evolution where a trait has evolved primarily in two or more groups of animals that had a common ancestor that lacked the trait in question.

For example: Mammals evolved from a common reptilian ancestor and diverged into three major types of mammals. The reptilian ancestor did not possess mammary glands and each of the three major groups of mammals evolved independently with some type of mammary gland.

Animals in the same order or family, although quite similar, may occupy very different niches in their habitats. An example is the bat (order Chiroptera). Through divergent evolution bats have adapted quite uniquely to various niches. Bats can be carnivorous, insectivorous, frugivorous and hemotophagous (i.e. meat-eating, insect-eating, fruit-eating and blood-lapping respectively).

__CONVERGENT EVOLUTION__

The process of evolution wherein a similar trait evolves in two or more groups independently, e.g.: sociality in wasps and ants, flying in birds and bats. Very dissimilar species occupy similar niches in different ranges and habitats such as the ant eating habits of the spiny anteater (an Australian monotreme), the African aardvark and the South American anteater.

The similar adaptation to a common environment by dissimilar species, such as the location of the eyes, nostrils and ears on the top of the head on semi-aquatic frogs, crocodilians, river otters and the hippopotamus.

To use bats again as an example, the //Megachiroptera// are believed to have evolved from a primate-like ancestor, where the //Microchiroptera// are believed to have evolved from a rodent-like ancestor. So they both evolved the ability to fly but from two completely different ancestral lines.

__ADA____PTATION TO ENVIRONMENT__ An animal fits into its environment by adaptations in form and function, i.e.; an otter has thick fur, webbed feet, ears, eyes, and nostrils on top of its head, a streamlined shape and a rudder-like tail.

__WEB__ __OF LIFE__ The complex relationship between all living things and their places in the natural world.

__FOOD__ __PYRAMID__ The relationship between the producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers. All of these must be present to constitute an ecosystem.

__INTRODUCTION OF EXOTIC FAUNA__

The process of introducing non-native (exotic) animals into an area with the effect on the habitat and native population being unfavorable. The introduction of the rabbit to Australia where no population-controlling natural predators were present resulted in a rabbit population explosion which caused serious crop and grassland damage.

__COMMENSALISM__

A form of symbiosis in which two species live in close association in such a manner that one, the commensal, which is usually the smaller of the two, benefits. However, the host is not harmed. Examples are the relationship of ball moss on an oak tree or a remora hitching a ride on a shark.

__MUTUALISM__

A form of symbiosis in which two organisms of different species live in intimate association with each other to the advantage of both. The relationships of the clownfish and anemones are in this category. Another example is the relationship between oxpeckers (a bird) and large African mammals.

__PARASITISM__

A form of symbiosis in which two organisms live in close association with each other, with the parasite depending on the host for some essential food factor. The lamprey is an example of a parasite. The lamprey harms the host fish.

__PROTECTIVE CAMOUFLAGE__

Markings possessed by an animal that help it blend in with its surroundings. The vertical stripes on the tiger blending with the brush and grass habitat and the spots on a margay blending with a leafy habitat are examples.

__DISRUPTIVE PATTERNING__

The coloration of an animal is such that it draws the eye of the predator but camouflages the outline of the prey, thus confusing the predator. The network of random patterning on the giraffe is an example of disruptive patterning.