Here are terms in my podcast you may not know the definition of
Feel free to ask me to add any words I may have missed.
Aestivation-A period of inactivity for animals during hot or dry periods
Afrikaans-language spoken in South Africa. Descended from the Dutch language that the original Dutch settlers of South Africa spoke.
Andes-The mountain range found in South America
Arboreal-tree dwelling
Arthropod-any organism that has an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed legs. This includes most insects as well as crustaceans
Branchiostegal lungs-The breathing organ that many land dwelling and air breathing arthropods use
Brumation-Hibernation for cold blooded animals
Carapace-The hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, and arachnids
Chile-South American country that is very long and skinny and found on the west coast of South America
Chitin-A substance that makes up the shell of many arthropods
Conifer-a tree or plant that has cones and needle or scale like leaves that are usually evergreen
Crepuscular-Active or appearing during twilight
Crustacean-A specific type of arthropod that mainly lives in the ocean. Examples: crabs, lobsters, barnacles, wood lice
Deciduous-trees or plants that shed their leaves annually
Diurnal-of or during the day
Enamel-the outside layer of teeth
Endemic-Found only in that certain location. For example: the Lau Banded Iguana is only found on the Lau Islands of Fiji
Estuary-a water passage where the ocean tide meets a river current
Even-toed ungulates-hooved animals that bear weight on two or four toes out of five with the other three toes present, missing, lost their function, or pointing backwards
Exoskeleton-The hard outer skeleton found on animals such as crustaceans
Folivore-an animal that mostly eats leaves
Gular-Related to the throat especially in reptiles, fish, and birds
Herbaceous-plants that do not have woody stems above ground
Herbivore-an animal that only eats plants
Hyperphagia-period before an animal hibernates where it eats as much food as it can to build up their fat reserves so they can survive the winter
Incisors-front teeth
Invertebrate-Any animal without a spine
Keratin-a fibrous protein that makes up hair, hooves, finger nails, claws and many more things
Marsupial-A group of mammals found mostly in Australia and the Americas that typically carry their young in pouches. For example: kangaroos, opossums, Tasmanian devils
Molars-larger flatter back teeth
Monotreme-egg laying mammal. The only two are echidnas and platypuses
Nictitating membrane-a specialized inner eyelid that can be used to protect the eye from dust and dirt and keep the eye moist. Found in birds, reptiles, and some mammals
Nocturnal-done, occurring, or active at night. Usually used to describe animal behavior
Omnivore-animals that eat both plants and animals
Patagium-a membrane or fold of skin between the front and back limbs on each side of a bat or gliding mammal
Prehensile-capable of grabbing or grasping. For example, a spider monkey's tail
Preorbital-in front of the orbit or eye socket. Usually refers to a gland like the ones found on antelope and gazelles
Shoshone-A group of Native Americans that live primarily in Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada. Also refers to their language.
Sub-Saharan Africa-the region of Africa south of the Sahara desert
Terrestrial-earth dwelling
Thorax-In animals with a spine, this refers to their chest. In invertebrates such as insects, this means the middle part of their bodies
Vestigial-remaining a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function. For example, the appendix