Animal Guides / Conservation and reference
Animal glossary A-Z
Plain-English definitions of more than 60 words used in animal science and conservation, from adaptation and apex predator to venom and vertebrate.
Animal science has its own vocabulary. Here are the terms used most often in our guides, each explained in a sentence or two.
67 terms
A
- Adaptation
- A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
- Amphibian
- A cold-blooded vertebrate, such as a frog or salamander, that usually starts life in water and has moist skin.
- Apex predator
- A predator at the top of its food chain with no natural predators as an adult.
- Aposematism
- Bright warning colors or patterns that signal an animal is toxic or dangerous.
- Arthropod
- An invertebrate with a jointed body and an exoskeleton, such as insects, spiders and crabs.
B
- Biodiversity
- The variety of life in an area, including genes, species and ecosystems.
- Biome
- A large region defined by its climate and dominant plants, such as desert or tundra.
- Bycatch
- Animals caught unintentionally while fishing for other species.
C
- Camouflage
- Coloring or shape that helps an animal blend into its surroundings. See camouflage.
- Carnivore
- An animal that mainly eats other animals.
- Chromatophore
- A pigment-containing skin cell that helps animals such as octopuses change color.
- Class
- A taxonomic rank above order, such as mammals or birds.
- Cold-blooded
- Informal term for ectothermic animals that rely on outside heat.
- Conservation
- Protecting species, habitats and ecosystems for the future.
- Convergent evolution
- When unrelated animals evolve similar traits independently.
- Crepuscular
- Most active at dawn and dusk.
- Critically Endangered
- The highest IUCN risk category for species still in the wild. See IUCN categories.
D
- Diurnal
- Active during the day.
- DNA
- The molecule that carries genetic instructions in living things.
E
- Echolocation
- Locating objects by emitting sounds and listening to echoes. See echolocation.
- Ecosystem
- A community of living things interacting with each other and their environment.
- Ectotherm
- An animal that relies on external heat to control its body temperature.
- Endangered
- An IUCN category for species at very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Endemic
- Found naturally in only one place.
- Endotherm
- An animal that generates its own body heat, such as mammals and birds.
- Estivation
- A dormant state some animals enter to survive hot, dry periods.
- Extinct
- No living individuals remain.
F
- Family
- A taxonomic rank above genus, such as Felidae for cats.
- Food web
- The network of feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
G
- Genus
- A taxonomic rank grouping closely related species.
H
- Habitat
- The natural home of an animal.
- Herbivore
- An animal that mainly eats plants.
- Hibernation
- A long, deep winter dormancy with lowered body temperature and metabolism.
I
- Invasive species
- A species introduced to a new area where it spreads and causes harm.
- Invertebrate
- An animal without a backbone.
K
- Keystone species
- A species with an outsized effect on its ecosystem compared with its numbers.
L
- Larva
- An immature stage of an animal that looks different from the adult.
- Least Concern
- An IUCN category for species not currently at significant risk.
M
- Mammal
- A warm-blooded vertebrate with hair that feeds its young on milk.
- Metamorphosis
- A major change in body form during development, as from caterpillar to butterfly.
- Migration
- Regular seasonal movement between areas. See animal migration.
- Mimicry
- When one species evolves to resemble another.
N
- Neoteny
- Keeping juvenile features into adulthood, as in the axolotl.
- Niche
- The role a species plays in its ecosystem.
- Nocturnal
- Active at night.
O
- Omnivore
- An animal that eats both plants and animals.
- Order
- A taxonomic rank above family, such as Carnivora.
P
- Pheromone
- A chemical signal that affects the behavior of others of the same species.
- Phylum
- A major taxonomic rank, such as Chordata or Arthropoda.
- Poaching
- Illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals.
- Poison
- A toxin that harms when touched or eaten, rather than injected.
- Pollinator
- An animal that carries pollen between flowers.
- Predator
- An animal that hunts and eats other animals.
- Prey
- An animal hunted and eaten by a predator.
R
- Range
- The geographic area where a species is found.
- Reptile
- A cold-blooded vertebrate with scales, such as snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles.
- Rewilding
- Restoring ecosystems, sometimes by reintroducing missing species.
S
- Scavenger
- An animal that feeds on dead animals.
- Species
- A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
T
- Taxonomy
- The science of naming and classifying organisms. See taxonomy.
- Territory
- An area an animal defends against others.
V
- Venom
- A toxin injected by a bite or sting.
- Vertebrate
- An animal with a backbone.
- Vulnerable
- An IUCN category for species at high risk of extinction in the wild.
W
- Warm-blooded
- Informal term for endothermic animals.
- Wildlife corridor
- A strip of habitat connecting separated areas so animals can move between them.
Z
- Zooplankton
- Tiny animals drifting in water, food for many fish and whales.
