124
GLOSSARY
Blaze Usually a light-coloured (sometimes used for dark) mark down
the front of the face.
Browser Feeding mainly on woody or herbaceous plants.
Canine A single tooth situated immediately behind the incisors in each
jaw; usually tall and pointed, used as part of the killing apparatus in
many carnivores.
Carnivore An animal that preys on other animals for its food (predator);
a member of the order Carnivora.
Commensal Animals such as rats and mice living in close association
with humans, often in their structures.
Crepuscular Active during the twilight hours of dusk and dawn.
Diurnal Active during the daylight hours.
Echolocation While they are in flight, insectivorous bats emit high-
frequency sound waves that help them to avoid collision with
obstacles and to locate prey.
Endemic Found only in a particular region, and nowhere else in the
world.
Exotic Not native to a country or region, but introduced from other
countries or areas. Also ‘alien’.
Feral Having reverted to a wild state.
Foraging Searching for or seeking out food.
Gestation The period between conception and birth in which offspring
are carried in the uterus.
Grazer Any organism eating mostly grass.
Herbivore An animal that feeds mainly on plants.
Hibernate To pass part of or the whole winter in a dormant state with
the metabolism decreased.
Home range The area covered by an animal in the course of its day-to-
day activities.
Incisors Sharp-edged front teeth, usually in both the upper and lower
jaws.
Insectivore A mammal that eats mostly insects.
Introduced species Animal or plant brought by humans from areas
where it occurs naturally to areas where it has not previously
occurred. Some introductions are accidental, others deliberate.
Nocturnal Active at night.
Omnivore An organism that feeds on both plant and animal foods.
Reintroduced animal Where an animal has become locally or regionally
extinct, and individuals of the same species are returned from other
populations.
Rut Period of sexual excitement (in male animals) associated with the
mating season.
Scavenger An animal that feeds on dead or decaying organic matter.
Species A group of interbreeding individuals of common ancestry,
reproductively isolated from all other groups.
Territory A restricted area inhabited by an animal, often for breeding
purposes, and actively defended against other individuals of the same
species.
Wadi Term in Arabic-speaking countries for a valley, ravine or channel
that is dry except in the rainy season.