Endangered Species Vocabulary Words

Adaptation -Modification of an organism or its parts allowing it to survive more easily in its environment.

Altricial  -An animal that is born or hatched in a very immature and helpless condition so as to require care for some time.  

Aquatic  -Living in or near the water.

Arboreal -Living in trees.

Carnivore  -An animal that only eats other animals or animal matter.  Such an animal     is said to be carnivorous.

Crepuscular  -Active in the early morning and evening, and at rest during the middle of the day and night.

Diurnal  -Active during the day and resting during the night.

Endangered -Species of plants or animals that are near or at the critical level for survival.  Populations may be so low that they cannot reproduce fast enough to replace dwindling numbers in their populations.

Ecology  -The study of the relationships between animals and plants and their surroundings.

Evolution  -The process by which organisms come to differ from generation to generation.

Extinct  -Gone forever.  A species is extinct if there are no more members left alive, therefore the species ceases to exist.

Feral  -A domestic animal that becomes wild when no longer under control and maintained by humans.

Habitat  -The place or home where an animal lives.

Herbivore  -An animal that eats only plants or vegetable matter.  To be herbivorous.

Indigenous  -Native to a given country or area.

Insectivore  -An animal that eats only insects.  To be Insectivorous.

Niche  -Where and how a plant or animal lives, what it does and how it does it.  The definition of a niche must include at least all of these things but is not restricted to these three alone.  A niche is not just where an animal or plant lives or where it is located in a food chain.

Nocturnal  -Active during the night and resting during the day.

Mimicry  -Appearing as or imitating a similar animal that has toxic or dangerous properties so as to avoid predation.

Omnivore  -An animal that eats both plants and animals.  To be omnivorous.

Population  -A group of individuals of the same species.

Precocial  -An animal that is born or hatched in a well developed condition capable of a high degree of independent activity.

Predator  -An animal that kills and eats other animals.

Prey  -An animal that is killed and eaten by other animals.

Rare  -Animals and plants with small world populations, not presently endangered or threatened but at risk.

Scavenger  -An animal that eats offal (leavings, already dead animals).

Species  -A reproductively isolated group of animals that can reproduce within the group but, for several different reasons, cannot reproduce with any other closely related animals.  The members of one species usually look the same and have many characteristics in common.

                        (Note: the word “species” is both singular and plural.)

Symbiosis  -The intimate association of two organisms for either mutual or one-sided benefit.

Terrestrial  - Living on the ground.

Threatened  -Species of animals and plants whose numbers are dwindling in the wild, that could move to endangered status, but would recover with help.

Zoology  -The study of animals.