Glossary:

A

altricial - Referring to young animals (especially birds) where the young are born in an immature dependent condition.

antler - One of a pair of bony structures on the heads of deer.. Antlers are almost always branched, and grow from *pedicels on the frontal bones. They are non-permanent, generally shed and re-grown every year.

artiodactyl - an even-toed ungulate like the sheep, goat, pig, camel, or ox

avian - relating to, or characteristic of birds.

B

biodiversity - Refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative frequencies. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the biochemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, and genes.

brood - The young of certain animals, especially a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time and cared for by the same mother.

brooding - To sit on or hatch (eggs). To protect (young) by or as if by covering with the wings.

browser - A herbivore* that eats primarily leaves, shoots, twigs of trees, bushes, herbs, and other vegetation which is off the ground.

C

canine - An animal of the family Canidae like especially a dog

carnivores - meat eaters - including sharks, lions, leopards, wild dog , and others

cephalopod - having a large head, large eyes, prehensile tentacles, and, in most species, an ink sac containing a dark fluid used for protection or defense. various marine mollusks like octopus, squid, cuttlefish, or nautilus

cere - A fleshy or wax like membrane at the base of the upper beak in certain birds, such as parrots, through which the nostrils open.

clutch - a number of birds hatched at the same time

coexisting - To exist together, at the same time, or in the same place.

commensalism - One type of symbiosis when one organism benefits and the other is not affected while living together.

cooperative breeders - when more than two adults help to raise the young

covert - One of the small feathers covering the bases of the longer feathers of a bird's wings or tail.

D

deciduous - Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season

deforestation - removal of trees from a forested area without adequate replanting or natural regeneration

diagnostic - a distinguishing feature serving as supporting evidence in a diagnosis.

diurnal - active primarily during the daylight hour

dorsal - Pertaining to the back

E

 endemic - Referring to a species which is native to a single geographic regionand is found nowhere else .

echidnas - Any of several nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects. Also called spiny anteater.

estuary - the wide part of a river where it nears the sea; fresh and salt water mix

extirpation - the elimination of a species from an island, local area, or region.

F

feral - escaped from domestication

fledged - To grow the plumage necessary for flight.

fledgling - A young bird that has recently acquired its flight feathers.

fluke - Either of the two horizontally flattened divisions of a whale's tail.

folivore - An animal that eats mainly leaves such as a giraffe.

G

gape - The width of the space between the open jaws or mandibles of a vertebrate.

grazer - An animal which feeds on growing grass or other herbage on the ground.

H

habitat - the place where an animal or plant usually lives, often characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristic

herbivores - animals like zebra, impala , and wildebeest which only eat plant material. This means leaves, flowers, fruits or even wood.

horn - One of a pair of hard, permanent structures on the frontal bones of the head in members of the Bovine family. True horns consist of a bony core covered with a sheath of keratinous material. 'Horn' is also used to refer to the keratinous growth on the mid line of the nose of the Rhinoceros although these are not true horns due to the lack of a bony core.

I

incubation - sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body

insectivores - An animal which eats primarily insects

J

K

keratin - A tough, insoluble protein substance that is the chief structural constituent of hair, nails, horns, and hooves.

L

M

mammal - animals that have hair, are warm-blooded, and nourish their young with milk. Some modern- day mammals include people, bears, and dolphins.

Marsupials - a group of mammals; their young are born in an extremely immature state; most female marsupials have pouches. Some marsupials include the opossum, kangaroo, and koala.

migrate - To change location periodically, especially by moving seasonally from one region to another often for the purpose of feeding and/or breeding..

monotremes - a primitive egg-laying mammals. Modern-day monotremes include the Platypuses and echidnas

mopane tree - the butterfly-shaped leaves, can attain a height of up to 25 m The fruit of the mopane tree consists of a flattened and leathery pod, almost kidney-shaped. It is green at first, it contains one wrinkled, flat seed dotted with sticky resin glands

mopane worm - Imbrassia belina an edible caterpillar

Its distribution in southern Africa follows that of its primary host plant, the mopane tree As an adult it becomes the Mopane Emperor Moth or Anomalous Emperor Moth.

mutualism - A type of symbiosis when two dissimilar organisms live together and both organisms benefit

N

nestling - A bird too young to leave its nest. A young bird not yet fledged.

nocturnal - Most active at night:

O

omnivore s - eat plants and meat - including people and bears.

ossicone - The skin covered, bony protrusion found on the heads of members of the Artiodactyl family Giraffidae.

P

parasitism - A type of symbiosis when one organism benefits at the other organism's expense while living together.

pedicel - The enlargement of the frontal bone of the skull, forming a supporting structure from which an antler will grow.

perissodactyl - An odd-toed ungulate like the horse or rhinoceros

pied - Patchy in color; splotched, having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly;

placental mammals - mammals whose young are born at a relatively advanced stage. Before birth, the young are nourished through a placenta. The placenta is a specialized embryonic organ that is attached the mother's uterus and delivers oxygen and nutrients to the young. Most mammals are placental mammals, like cats, dogs, horses, and people.
raptor

Q

R

S

sounding - when a whale dives deeply to escape danger.

spyhopping - is an activity in which the whale pokes its head out of the water to take a look around. Often, it spins around to see in all directions.

symbiosis - a general term used for two dissimilar organisms live together. There are different types of symbiosis like:

mutualism, in which both organisms benefit

commensalism, in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected

parasitism , in which one organism benefits at the other organism's expense.

T

thornveld - Thorn bushes as well as thorn trees like acacia are scattered on the land.

U

unfledged - Not having the feathers necessary to fly. Used for a young bird.. Inexperienced, immature, or untried.

ungulates - hoofed mammals,a Latin word meaning "provided with hoofs"

V

veld -Any of the open grazing areas of southern Africa.

vertebrate - animals like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes with a segmented spinal column and a distinct, well-differentiated head.

W

weaning - The period of time when a young mammal stops suckling and begins to use other food sources.

X

Y

Z

* see glossary listing