Wildlife Vocabulary

Scavenger

A carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead animals

Marsupial

A mammal that keeps and feeds its young in a pouch for a few months after birth

Feline

A member of the family of cats, lions, tigers, and jaguars.

Virus

A small, nonliving particle that invades and then reproduces inside a living cell.

Torpor

A state of deep sleep that helps animals save energy when food supplies are low

Rabies

A viral disease transmitted in the saliva of an infected animal that affects the central nervous systems of warm-blooded animals

Crepescular

Active at dawn and dusk

Nocturnal

Active at night

Diurnal

Active during the day

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals

Carnivore

An animal that feeds chiefly on meat or flesh

Warm-blooded

Animals that keep a consistent body temperature no matter what the temperature is in its environment.

Herbivore

Any animal that feeds chiefly on grass and other plants

Saliva

Liquid in the mouth that helps in digestion

Arboreal

Living in the trees

Mustelid

Member of a family of midsize carnivorous mammals with long, slender bodies, short legs, and well-developed anal scent glands

Habitat

Place where an animal lives that provides food, water, shelter and space.

Carrion

The rotting flesh of a dead animal

Plantigrade

Walking on the soles of the feet, like a human or a bear.

Rodent

an order of relatively small mammals with large gnawing incisor teeth that continue growing throughout the animal's life, as a mouse, rat, or squirrel.