Glossary
A
- abundant
- - lots of something
- adaptations
- - the changes of an organism that allows it to survive
- ambush
- - a surprise attack
- apex predator
- - the top creature of the food chain - usually does not have a predator
B
- bogs
- - spongy ground made of dead plant material
C
- camouflage
- - the ability to hide or blend into the environment
- canine
- - pointy teeth used for tearing food
- carcasses
- - dead body
- carnivore
- - animal that eats meat
- clusters
- - grouped together
- concentrate
- - focus or to put energy towards something
D
- decomposes
- - break down or rot
- digestive enzymes
- - a protein which works to decompose food in an animal's digestive system
- dominate
- - to have power over something
F
- food chain
- - a system that carries nutrition through living organisms
- food web
- - a more complex system but similar to a food chain
H
- herbivores
- - animal that eats plants
I
- incisors
- - front teeth used for biting
- invertebrate
- - an animal with a backbone
L
- leverage
- - grabbing power
M
- molars
- - back teeth used for chewing
N
- nocturnal
- - animal that hunts at night
- nutrients
- - the healthy parts of food
O
- omnivores
- - animals that eat plants and animals
- organism
- - a living thing
P
- paralyze
- - to keep from being able to move
- predator
- - an animal that hunts for its food
- primary consumers
- - in a food chain, animals that are herbivores
- producers
- - plants produce energy from sunlight
Q
- quaternary consumers
- - fourth layer of consumer in a food chain
S
- scavengers
- - animals that eat food that is already dead
- secondary consumers
- - second layer of consumer in a food chain, usually omnivores or carnivores
- stalk
- - to follow prey
T
- talons
- - sharp claws of a bird
- tentacles
- - arms of an animal, usually invertebrate, such as an octopus
- tertiary consumers
- - third layer of consumer in a food chain, usually carnivore
- transform
- - to change
- transmitted
- - to pass from one to another
V
- vertebrates
- - animals with backbones
- vibrations
- - a quick repeated motion that can often be felt or heard
