Animal Migration Vocabulary

A

Alvien - coho salmon as small larval fish attached to a yolk sac

Anadromous - fish that migrate from sea water to freshwater rivers when they migrate

Assortative Mating - when an animal always chooses mates similar to itself or different from itself

 

B

Bottom Filter – feeding on small animals on the ocean floor

 

C

Calving – to give birth to a calf

Cannibalism – an animal eating another animal of the same species

Celestial - of or relating to the sky

Compositae – family of plants that have lots of flowers; dandelion and daisy are examples

Constellations - pattern or arrangement of stars

Convergent – tending to move toward one point or to approach one another

Copulate – to engage in sexual relations

 

D

Dynamic - something that is coninuously active or changing

 

E

Endogenous Rhythm - internal activities of an animal that are determined by its genes or DNA

Equinox - two times during the year when day and night are about equally long all over the earth

 

F

Forage – food for animals, especially food that is eaten while grazing

Foraging - to look for food

 

G

Generalist – habits are varied, not specific

Gestation – pregnancy, or the mother carrying the young inside her before birth

Gregarious – social, tending to associate with others of one’s kind

 

H

Hatchling –an animal that has just hatched from an egg

Herbivore – animals that only eat plants

Hibernation – to pass the winter in a resting state

 

I

Imprinting - when a newborn or very young animal learns a behavior pattern that is necessary for their survival

Internal Fertilization - the female's reproductive cells are combined with the male's reproductive cells inside the female

Invertebrates – animals that do not have a spinal column

 

J

 

K

 

L

Leguminosae – family of trees, vines and shrubs that have bean pods

 

M

Magnitude - a great size or extent

Malvaceae – type of herb or shrub

Monogamous - having a single mate during a period of time

 

N

Natal – relating to birth

Neonate - newborn baby, usually during the first few weeks of life

Nocturnal - animals that are awake and active at night

 

O

Olfactory - having to do with the sense of smell

Omnivores - animals that eat both plants and animals

Overwintering – the way in which many insects survive the winter; their bodies adjust to survive very low temperatures

Oviposition - to lay eggs

 

P

Parr - a young salmon during the first two years of life when it lives in fresh water

Pelagic - living in or near the open sea

Photoperiod - cycle of light and dark periods that are equal length of time

Plunge-diving - birds dive into the water while flying to catch their prey

Polygamous  (Polygynous) – having more than one mate at a time

Predation - being captured as prey

Progeny - offspring

 

Q

 

R

Regurgitate - to throw from or pour back out; animals often do this with food - when an animal regurgitates food it comes back out from the stomach or other place inside the animal's body

 

S

Sedentary - animal that does not migrate

Semelparous - describes animals that can only reproduce once before dying

Sequester – to separate

Skim-feeding - animals go across the surface of the water with their mouth open to catch small animals to eat

Smolt - a young salmon after it is a parr but before adulthood

Smoltification - the process which allows the fish to be able to adapt to sea water from fresh water

Spermatophore – capsule or packet that contains the male reproductive cells

Stopover - stopping place during a journey

 

T

Territorial - being protective of the area where the animal lives

Trajectory – a path

 

U

 

V

Vernal - having to do with the spring

 

W

 

X

 

Y

 

Z