Reference
Home Range
The home range of an animal is the physical area where the animal spends its time on daily activities such…
Reference
Reference
Conservation Status
Conservation status is a category assigned to an animal or plant species to reflect whether or not the group is…
Reference
Delayed Implantation
Delayed implantation, also called embryonic diapause, is when mammals pause their pregnancies until conditions are better for the survival of their…
Reference
Tissue
Tissue is a word that has more than a single meaning. It’s often described as muscle, ligaments, the fat cells…
Reference
Top Speed
Top speed is generally thought of in terms of vehicles, with the current land speed record, in a vehicle, set…
Reference
Trachea
The trachea is often simply referred to as the windpipe and it has an important function to play in the…
Reference
Biome
A biome is an area or region that is characterized by its unique features, including its soil, climate and weather,…
Reference
Temperament
Temperament is the nature of either a human or an animal. It’s not malleable like “demeanor” or “bravado,” but something…
Reference
Sternum
The sternum is typically the nucleus of a protective rib cage. It’s large, flat, and runs down the center of…
Reference
Ruminant
A ruminant is an animal that has a unique digestive system. This digestive system typically consists of four stomachs. When…
Reference
Reproduction
It may be arguable in some circles, but most scientists recognize that reproduction is the single most important process for…
Reference
Organism
An organism covers a wide variety of life, including the capability for reproduction, growth, adaptation, reaction to outside forces, and…
Reference
Opposable
In the animal kingdom, “opposable” is a term used regarding thumbs, whether it’s human or one of the rare animals…
Reference
Silk
Silk is a natural fiber produced by some arachnids and insects, and some of it can be processed into fabric. …
Reference
Mimicry
Mimicry in the animal kingdom is not just a casual alteration of the skin or mannerisms. It’s a defense mechanism,…
Reference
Respiratory System
The respiratory system is the organs and other structures in a creature’s body that allow them to perform gas exchange.…
Reference
Natural Environment
The natural environment is a series of interconnected systems that exist naturally on a planet, like Earth, including both living…
Reference
Mollusk
A mollusk is an invertebrate with an unsegmented soft body that is often covered partially or entirely with a calcareous…
Reference
Litter Size
Litter size is the number of offspring resulting from a single animal’s birth. Litter Size Explained In zoology, a litter…
Reference
Internal Fertilization
Internal fertilization is when fertilization occurs inside the female body. What is Internal Fertilization? The process of internal fertilization occurs…
Reference
Cloven-hoofed
Cloven-Hoofed Meaning A cloven hoof, also known as a cleft hoof, split hoof, or divided hoof, is found on animals…
Reference
Incubation Period
An incubation period is a time between an organism’s exposure to an infectious or deleterious agent and the onset of…
Reference
Common Name
A common name of an organism, also known as a vernacular name or English name, is the name that is…
Reference
Host
A host is an organism that serves as a shelter, food source, or breeding area for a smaller organism. Hosts…
Reference
New World Monkeys
New World monkeys are the five primate families located in Mexico, South America, and Central, South America. Scientists believe they…
Reference
Food Chain: 1. Primary Producer
A primary producer is an organism with the ability to create its food. About Primary Producers Primary producers are organisms…
Reference
Saprophagous
Saprophagous organisms are any organisms that feed on (obtain the necessary nutrients for survival) dead or otherwise decaying matter. There…
Pheromone
Pheromones are chemicals animals secrete to signal a potential mate. However, it’s not always a sexual signal. Depending on why…
Reference
Pinna
The pinna is simply another name (a scientific name, if you will), for the outer ear. The term applies to…
Reference
Location
There are many aspects to location, far more than where you happen to be standing now. There’s word-of-mouth location, such…
Reference
Sessile
Sessile is a word with multiple meanings. However, it most often applies to botany and pertains to leaves that directly…
Reference
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a major step in a plant’s ability to derive nutrients from food sources. It’s a combination method in…
Reference
Omnivore
Omnivores are animals capable of digesting plants or meat and obtaining the needed nutrients from both. Humans are primary examples…
Reference
Metacarpal
The metacarpal bones make up the central portion of the hand, specifically the intermediate portion. The metacarpals start from the…
Reference
Old World
Old World is a common reference for Europe, Asia, and Africa—essentially anything east of the Atlantic Ocean when looking from…
Reference
Larva
The larva is a stage of growth that several types of animals have to go through before reaching their adult…
Reference
Echinoderm
Echinoderms are marine invertebrates from the Echinodermata phylum. The word echinoderm derives from the ancient Greek words “ekhinos” meaning hedgehog,…
Reference
Flight Feathers
Flight feathers are the large, rigid feathers on a bird’s wings and tail that facilitate flight. Flight Feathers on the…
Reference
Kingdom
Kingdom represents a taxonomic category, one below Domain, in a traditional, five-classification scheme. Within the conventional scheme, Kingdom represents organisms…
Reference
Hermaphrodite
The basic definition of hermaphrodite is an organism that has both male and female reproductive organs. In botanical terms, it…
Reference
Ectoparasite
An ectoparasite is an organism that lives on the outside layers of a host’s body. Ectoparasite Meaning Ectoparasites are creatures…
Reference
Carnivore
A carnivore is a meat eater. It’s an organism that gets nutrition from eating other organisms. Carnivores can be hunters…
Reference
Gestation Period
The gestation period is the amount of time a female is pregnant, and this time varies widely depending on the…
Reference
Deposit Feeder
A deposit feeder is a detritivorous organism that consumes food particles within or upon the surface of a sediment substrate…
Reference
Estimated Population Size
The estimated population size, according to the World Population Clock, hit 8 billion on November 15, 2022. On any given…
Reference
Digit
Digits, as far as anatomy is concerned, are the fingers or toes on the feet or hands of vertebrates. The…
Reference
Cellulose
Of all the organic polymers on earth, this is the most abundant by far. It’s a primary component in paper…
Reference
Carnassial Tooth
Carnivorous animals primarily possess a tooth known as the “cheek teeth,” often referred to as the carnassial tooth. Many carnivores…
Reference
Weight
Defined as a body’s relative mass or the heaviness of an animal, object, or human being. Summary Weight is the…
Reference
Keel
A keel is a projection on the sternum made from bone that serves as an anchor for the wing muscles…