|
Word/term |
Definition |
| albino |
lack of skin pigmentation |
| anterior |
front or close to the animals
head (opposite to posterior) |
| arboreal |
tree climbing |
| cloaca |
chamber into which intestinal,
urinary and reproductive ducts empty their contents |
| crepuscular |
active at twilight |
| diurnal |
active in daylight |
| gravid |
a female having eggs or embryos |
| herpetology |
scientific study of reptiles and
amphibians |
| hybrid |
the result of mating unrelated
parents (of different species) |
| Jacobsons Organ |
organ for detecting odour
located in the roof of the mouth |
| melanism |
blackness, (opposite of albinism) |
| nocturnal |
active at night |
| omnivorous |
eating both animal and plant
matter |
| oviduct |
tube that allows the passage of
eggs from ovary to cloaca |
| oviparous |
animal lays eggs which later
hatch |
| ovoviparous |
animal holds eggs inside body
until they hatch, delivering live young. Embryos are sustained by the
contents of the eggs, not via connection with mother |
| posterior |
towards the rear |
| prehensile tail |
capable of grasping or wrapping
with the tail |
| sloughing |
shedding of skin |
| thermoregulation |
maintenance of body temperature
at an almost constant level due to physiological or behavioural mechanisms |
| toxin |
a poisonous substance |
| venom |
toxin produced by an animal |
| viviparous |
live bearing animal whose young
are sustained via a connection with the mother |