Glossary of Terms for our Classification and Taxonomy Unit
ACCIDENTAL: an animal that has been seen only a few (usually less than 12) times within a
restricted geographical area.
ADAPT, ADAPTED: suited to survive and reproduce in a habitat because of genetically controlled
characteristics (called adaptations). If an animal has physical characteristics that help it survive in
a certain habitat it is adapted to that habitat. For example, a duck is adapted to life on water such
as ponds or rivers.
AMPHIBIA: amphibians, one of the five classes of vertebrates. amphibians include frogs, toads,
salamanders, and newts. Most species in this class have an aquatic immature stage and terrestrial
adults.
ANTLER: a branching bony growth on the head of any animal of the deer family, such as a male
White-tailed Deer. Antlers are grown and shed yearly.
ANURAN: a frog or a toad.
AQUATIC: pertaining to water; an animal that lives in the water (fresh, brackish, or salt).
ARBOREAL: pertaining to trees; an animal that lives in the tree tops.
AVES: birds, one of the five classes of vertebrates. Species in this class have feathers, lay eggs,
and most can fly.
BALEEN: collective name for the set of plate-like structures in the mouths of some whales, used to
strain small animals from the ocean. This is the "whalebone" of commerce.
BOREAL: a geographical area that encompasses the Arctic Region.
CANINE: having the properties of a dog. A long cone-shaped tooth used to grasp and pierce. It is
also called a "cuspid" or, in the upper jaw, an "eyetooth."
CARNIVORE, CARNIVOROUS: an animal that primarily eats meat.
CARRION: flesh of a dead animal.
CAUDAL: referring to the tail, or in the direction of the tail.
CHARACTERISTIC: a physical attribute of an animal, such as hair, feathers, webbed feet, color
pattern, or song.
CHORDATA: an extensive phylum of the animal kingdom that includes all the animals that have a
notochord (a rod-shaped supporting axis, or backbone). All the vertebrates, including humans, are
chordates.
CLASS: a higher taxonomic category for a group of related animals or plants which share common
characteristics. This category is more specific than a phylum and broader than an order. For more
information see the classification of animals.
CLASSIFICATION: the ordering of organisms into groups on the basis of their relationships. For
more information see the classification of animals.
CONIFER: any cone-bearing tree, which includes trees such as Pines, Firs, Spruces, and Hemlocks.
Most conifers are evergreens, and do not lose all their needle-like leaves at once like deciduous
hardwood trees do.
DIURNAL: describes an animal that is active during the day.
DORSAL, DORSUM, DORSALLY: referring to the back or top of an animal.
ECHOLOCATION: the use of high frequency sound like sonar and radar by animals (i.e whales and
bats) to locate objects in the surrounding environment.
ECOLOGY: the study of relationships between living organisms and their environment.
ECTOTHERM: a "cold-blooded" animal. Animals such as amphibians and reptiles that cannot
regulate their body temperature by internal means, so their body temperature is essentially the
same as that of their surrounding environment. See also "poikilotherm."
ENDEMIC: a species that is native to an area or region.
FAMILY: a higher taxonomic category for a group of related animals or plants which share common
characteristics. This category is more specific than an order and broader than a genus. For more
information see the classification of animals.
FERAL: describes a domestic animal that has returned to the wild and lives without human
attention.
FLUKE: a lobe or branch of the laterally flattened tail of a marine mammal such as a whale.
FUR-BEARER: having fur; a term especially used to describe animals hunted for their pelt.
GAME BIRD: a bird that is hunted for food or sport.
GENUS: a taxonomic category for a group of related plants or animals. The genus is the main
subdivision of a family, and includes one or more species. For more information see the
classification of animals.
GESTATION: pregnancy.
GILLS: respiratory organs used by aquatic animals to extract oxygen from water. In some animals
such as mussels, the gills also filter particles of food from the water.
GREGARIUS: animals living in social groups. With birds, living in flocks.
HABITAT: the surroundings or locality where a plant or an animal is ordinarily found.
HERBIVORE, HERBIVOROUS: describes an animal that eats plants.
HERP, HERPTILE: a jargon term used to refer collectively to both amphibians and reptiles.
HIBERNACULUM, HIBERNACULA: winter residence; a place where many individuals gather to
hibernate as a group.
HIBERNATE, HIBERNATION: to pass the winter in a state of reduced metabolic activity.
Compare "aestivation."
HOME RANGE: the area within which an animal tends to confine all or nearly all of its activities for
a long period of time.
INCISOR: any of the teeth at the front of the mouth, between the canines, in either jaw. The
incisors have sharp edges fitted for cutting.
INCUBATE: to keep eggs, embryos, etc. in a favorable environment for hatching or developing.
Among birds, this usually involves sitting on eggs until they hatch (also see: brood patch).
INDEPENDENT: controlling or governing oneself. With birds, the term describes the condition
when the young no longer rely on adults for care.
INSECTIVORE, INSECTIVOROUS: an animal that primarily eats insects.
IRIS: the colored portion of the eye of an animal, which surrounds the pupil and regulates the
amount of light entering the eye.
LORES: term used with birds to name the area between the bill and the eyes.
MAMMALIA: mammals, one of the five classes of vertebrates. Species in this class have hair and
nurse their young.
MANDIBLE: the jaw, especially the lower jaw, or any part that corresponds to this. With birds, the
term may describe either part of a bird's bill.
METAMORPHOSIS: a change in form or structure, especially the significant physical
transformation undergone by various animals during development, such as the tadpole to the frog or
the caterpillar to pupa to adult moth.
MIGRATION: movement of an animal from one region to another, usually occurring with the change
in seasons. With birds, this usually involves the seasonal movements of a species between a breeding
area and a (sometimes widely separated) wintering ground.
MOLAR: any of the larger teeth at the back of the mouth, used for grinding.
MOLT: to cast off or shed hair, feathers, skin, horns, etc. at certain intervals, then replace the
castoff parts by a new growth. Most birds molt once a year, but some molt more often.
NOCTURNAL: describes animals that are active at night.
OMNIVORE, OMNIVOROUS: describes an animal that eats both plant and animal material.
OPPORTUNISTIC: taking advantage of the situation. An opportunistic feeder is one that will eat
whenever food is available.
ORDER: a higher taxonomic category for a group of related animals or plants which share common
characteristics. This category is more specific than a class and broader than a family. For more
information see the classification of animals.
PHASE: any of the stages or forms in a series or cycle of changes. With birds, the term is used for
a period characterized by a distinctive plumage.
PLANKTON: very small plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that live in fresh, brackish,
or salt water.
POD: with animals such as whales, dolphins, or porpoises, the term describes a family or social
group that stays together; roughly equivalent to a flock or school.
POIKILOTHERM: a "cold-blooded" animal. See "ectotherm."
PREDATOR: an animal that captures other animals and eats them.
PREMOLAR: one of the teeth between the canines and the molars. Also called a "bicuspid."
PREY: an animal that is captured as food.
RACE: a recognizable group of animals or plants within a species.
RANGE: the area in which a species is normally found.
RAPTOR: birds adapted for living on prey. They typically have a strong decurved bill and sharp
piercing talons used to capture prey.
RARE: extremely uncommon. In the sense of conservation status, the term is used to describe a
species that is extremely uncommon and thus deserves special conservation attention. For more
information see the conservation status.
REPTILIA: reptiles, one of the five classes of vertebrates. This class includes scaled animals such
as turtles, snakes, lizards, and alligators.
SCAVENGER: an animal that eats dead animals.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: formal nomenclatural designation of a taxon. Also called the taxonomic name.
For more information see the classification of animals.
SPECIES: a single distinct kind of plant or animal having certain distinguishing characteristics; a
taxonomic category for a group of related organisms that form the largest unit of population within
which effective gene flow occurs or could occur. For more information see the classification of
animals.
SUBSPECIES: a division of a species. Different populations of a species, usually separated by
different body coloration, vocalizations, and/or behaviors.
TAXONOMY: the science of classification of organisms on the basis of their supposed evolutionary
relationships. For more information see the classification of animals.
TERRESTRIAL: describes an animal that lives on land.
TROGLODYTE: a cave dweller.
VERMIN: any of a number of small animals with habits that are judged to be filthy, destructive, or
troublesome. Mice, rats, and weasels are often characterized as vermin.
VERTEBRATE: an animal that has an internal bone skeleton.