Bears: Glossary

A

Antarctic

near the south pole

Arctic

near the north pole

acute

sharp

apiarist

beekeeper

B

bamboo

a tropical plant with hollow stems

biologist

a scientist who studies plants and animals

C

camouflage

a way to hide by coloring or shape

carnivore

meat eating animal

carrion

a dead animal

coexist

living together

competitor

something that competes or the enemy

confident

being sure of one's abilities

D

decline

get smaller

defense

protect oneself or offspring; babies

denning

to settle into their winter den

dense

thick

dexterous

skillful

dominance

power and influence over others

E

emerge

come out from somewhere like a cave

extracting

remove

F

ferocious

mean, scary,

forage

the act of searching for food

H

habitat

place where something lives

herbivore

an animal that eats plants

hibernate

to sleep through the winter

I

intelligent

smart

L

larvae

the young of an insect

livestock

animals raised for food, like cows or sheep

logged (logging)

the business of cutting trees for use in building

M

metabolize

to use by the body

myth

a story that is told for years, but may not be true

N

navigate

to direct movement

nocturnal

sleeps in the day and hunts at night

nurturing

bring up and train, raise

nutrition

the healthy parts of food

O

omnivore

an animal that eats plants and animals

P

population

all the inhabitants of a particular area

prehensile

a part of the body that can grasp such as a tail or hands

R

researcher

a person who studies something

respiration

breathe

retreat

leave

rodent

small mammal such as a mouse, rat or squirrel

T

territories

area of land marked off as owned or hunted on

U

Ursus Americanus

scientific name for the American black bear

ungulates

mammals with hooves

V

vocalization

a sound made by an animal

W

wildlife manager

a person who watches over the health and safety of wild animals and their habitat