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A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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| A |
Abalone n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda, Order Archaeogastropoda. Any of the edible, rock-clinging shelled molluscs (genus Haliotis) that have a flattened shell lined with mother-of pearl, with a row of openings along the outer edge.
Abarenicola n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta, Order Capitellida. A tube-dwelling, segmented worm that lives in tidal flats.
Abraham Trembley n. An 18th century Swiss naturalist (1710-1784), best known for his studies of the freshwater hydra.
Aerate v. To supply (soil or liquid) with oxygen.
Amphioxus n. Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Cephalochordata. Any of the genus Branchiostoma, a little, fish-like, simple chordate, that lives partially buried in marine sand flats and is also known as a lancelet.
Anaconda n. Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Class Reptilia, Order Squamata. A large semiaquatic, constricting snake from the boa family that lives in tropical South America and can reach sizes of over 30 feet (9.1 meters).
Anatomy n. A branch of study that deals with the internal structure of organisms, or simply the structural makeup of an organism or any of its parts.
Anemone n. Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Actiniaria. A typically solitary, soft-bodied, marine polyp with sixfold symmetry and clusters of tentacles superficially resembling a flower.
Anesthetic n. A substance that can produce a loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness.
Animal n. An organism with multiple differentiated cells (multicellular) that contain nuclei (eukaryotic), lack rigid cell walls, are bound together by collagen, gain their energy from other organisms, and typically reproduce by sexual reproduction.
Animal body plan n. The unique assemblage of structural features that characterizes animals of a distinct phylum.
Annelid n. Phylum Annelida. A group of invertebrates, including segmented worms with a true body cavity. (Annelida literally means little rings.)
Anomalocaris n. An extinct animal known from fossils from the Cambrian Explosion period over 500 million years ago that some scientists suggest is related to the Arthropoda phylum.
Antibiotics n. A substance produced by or derived from a microorganism and able to inhibit or kill another microorganism.
Apatosaurus n. A massive, plant-eating dinosaur known from 130 to 190 million-year-old Jurassic period fossils, formerly known as Brontosaurus.
Aristotle n. A 4th century Greek philosopher (384-322 B.C.) who was a student of Plato's (427 B.C.-347 B.C.) and compiled the first large-scale description and categorization of animal life, entitled Historia Animalium.
Arthropod n. Phylum Arthropoda. A group of animals possessing regional segmentation, jointed appendages, and an exoskeleton. (Arthropod literally translates to "jointed foot.")
Asteroid n. A rocky body, less than 1000 kilometers across, in orbit around the sun.
Aysheaia n. An extinct, marine, worm-like animal from the Cambrian Explosion period akin to modern-day velvet worms ( Onychophorans).
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Backbone n. The bony, internal axis of a vertebrate body that grows with the animal while providing attachment for muscles and support for the body.
Bacteria n. A microorganism without a nucleus (prokaryote).
Basal adj. Having to do with the base, bottom, or foundation of something; essential, vital, primary.
Bell n. See medusa.
Bilateral adj. Any body form with a central longitudinal plane that divides the body into two equal but opposite halves.
Bone n. The main material of most vertebrate skeletons, consisting of approximately equal volumes of collagen fibers (the fibers from which tendons are made) and crystals of bone salt (containing calcium phosphate and hydroxide).
Bone remodeling n. The process of restructuring living bone in response to external and internal stresses.
Book gills n. Organs of gas exchange, consisting of stacked plates that are flapped during respiration.
Brain n. A grouping of nerve structures, typically at the front (anterior) end of the body, that help create and integrate commands sent to the rest of the body.
Brittlestar n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Ophiuroidea. A type of echinoderm with a central disc and long, flexible arms used in rapid locomotion.
Burgess Shale n. A fossil site in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, where a wealth of fossils from the Cambrian Explosion period has been discovered.
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Calliostoma n. Phylum Mollusc, Class Gastropods, Subclass Prosobranchia. A type of marine shelled mollusc that lives off the California coast.
Cambrian Explosion n. A burst of evolutionary origins when most of the major body plans of animals appeared in a relatively brief time in geological history; recorded in the fossil record approximately 525 to 545 million years ago.
Cambrian Period n. A period of geologic time when the vast majority of animal body plans appeared that extends from approximately 545 to 490 million years ago.
Canadia n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta. An extinct animal known from Cambrian Explosion fossils that resembles a modern marine polychaete or annelid worm.
Capybara n. The world's largest rodent Hydrochaerus hydrochaeris that lives in South America and grows to 4.5 feet (1.4 m) long and 145 pounds (66 kg).
Carnivores n. Phylum Chordata. Any mainly, or exclusively meat-eating organism; alternatively, any member of the order Carnivora in the phylum Chordata.
Carolus Linnaeus n. A Swedish physician (1707-1778) who founded taxonomy, the branch of biology concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life, and devised the two-part (binomial) naming system that names animals according to genus and species.
Cell types n. Structurally and functionally different cells that have become specialized in a multicellular organism.
Chambered Nautilus n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda, Subclass Nautiliodea. Any genus of Nautilus of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans with a spiral chambered shell that is pearly on the inside.
Charles Darwin n. The father of modern biology (1809- 1882), who in his book, The Origin of Species, put forth the theory of descent with modification commonly referred to as evolution by means of natural selection.
Chemoreception n. The process of receiving stimuli from particular molecules, which results in the sense of smell and taste.
Choanocyte n. Collared cells with tail-like flagella that produce a current that draws water past their collars where food gets captured.
Chordate n. Phylum Chordata. A diverse phylum (grouping) of animals that possesses at some stage of life a notochord, a dorsal, hollow nerve cord, pharnygeal gill slits, and typically a tail that extends past the anus.
Chromatophores n. Pigment-containing skin cells, the control of which determines the rapid change of color patterns in an organism.
Cilia n. (Singular: cilium) A hair-like growth from a cell that when present in large numbers on surfaces can produce currents to move water and/or propel an animal across a carpet of mucus, e.g., flatworms.
Cnidarian n. Phylum Cnidaria. A group of animals that includes corals, hydras, jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war, sea anemones, sea pens, sea whips, and sea fans; and has the defining feature of stinging structures called nematocysts. (See nematocyst.)
Cockle n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Bivalvia. Any of the approximately 250 species of marine bivalve molluscs, or clams, of the family Cardiidae, that are distributed worldwide and range from about one centimetre (0.4 inch) in diameter to about 15 cm (about 6 inches).
Collagen n. A type of protein in animal cells that forms strong fibers, found extensively in connective tissue, intracellular matrix, and bone; one of the most abundant proteins in the animal kingdom.
Colobonema n. Phylum Cnidaria, Class Scyphozoa. A specific group of deep-sea jelly which has the ability to drop its tentacles as a decoy.
Comb jelly n. Phylum Ctenophora. An exclusively marine phylum that derives its name (ctene, or "comb," and phora, or "bearer") from the eight rows of hair-like combs that move the animal by beating.
Coral polyps n. Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Scleractinia. A form of coral that is fixed to the seafloor and manufactures the calcium-carbonate matrix (material) of the reef.
Coral Reef n. Structures composed of the living and dead colonies of cnidarians most commonly found in the tropics.
Crinoid n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea. A group of echinoderms known commonly as the feather stars and sea lilies.
Cryptic adj. Serving to help camouflage potential prey.
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Darwin's theory of evolution n. The environmental determination of differential survival -- popularly known as survival of the fittest, or natural selection.
Dermasterias n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Asteroidea. A type of sea star commonly known as the leather star.
Detritovores n. Organisms that eat small particles of dead organic matter (detritus).
Detritus n. Dead organic matter.
Devonian n. An interval of the Paleozoic Era that follows the Silurian and precedes the Carboniferous. It is thought to have covered the span of time between about 408 and 360 million years ago. It is commonly known as the Age of Fishes.
Dinosaurs n. Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia The common name given to any of certain extinct archosaur reptiles, often very large, that thrived worldwide for some 150 million years and died out at the end of the Mesozoic Era, about 65 million years ago.
Diopatra n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta, Order Eunicida. A marine tube-dwelling, segmented worm that frequents mud flats.
DNA n. DeoxyriboNucleic Acid -- the carrier of genetic information in all cells and made of four small molecules called nucleotides.
Drag n. The primary force that resists forward movement, and is dependent upon the animal's shape and how that shape interacts with the water.
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Echinoderm n. Phylum Echinodermata. A group of marine invertebrate animals, including sea urchins, sea stars, and sea cucumbers; characterized by a skeleton made of little plates, which may be a rigid armor as in sea urchins, or made of small plates in a leathery body wall as in holothurians (sea cucumbers).
Electrode n. A conductor that represents the positive or negative pole of an electric circuit or battery.
Embryo n. The developmental stages while constrained in an egg or parent.
Embryology n. The study of the formation and development of an embryo and fetus.
Ephyra n. The juvenile form of a medusa that buds off the polyp stage of a jellyfish and may be produced in groups that resemble tiny stacks of lifesavers without the hole.
Eurypterid n. Phylum Arthropoda, Subphylum Chelicerata, Class Meristomata, Order Eurypteridae A type of large, predatory, extinct marine arthropod that flourished during the Silurian Period (438 to 408 million years ago). See sea scorpion.
Evolution n. The process whereby new species arise typically as a result of gradual changes that occur in populations or organisms over a long period of time.
Exoskeleton n. A hard external covering of various animals, including arthropods, that provides attachment for muscles and protects the animal from drying out and/or mechanical injury.
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Feather duster worm n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta. Any large, segmented, marine tube worm of the family Sabellidae that typically exposes only a showy crown of feeding tentacles and keeps the rest tucked away out of sight.
Flatworms n. Phylum Platyhelminthes A group of soft-bodied, usually much-flattened invertebrates that are free-living as well as parasitic; bilaterally symmetrical (i.e., the right and left sides are similar); and lack respiratory, skeletal, and circulatory systems as well as a body cavity.
Forelimb n. The front limb of an animal -- usually a tetrapod (a vertebrate with four appendages).
Frequency n. The number of cycles undergone during one unit of time.
Funnel n. A modification of the mollusc foot in such cephalopods as squid and octopus that aids in jet propulsion.
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Gene n. The unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific sequence of DNA or RNA (for viruses) that codes for a protein.
Genetic code n. The triplets of nucleotides that specify which amino acids occur sequentially along a gene.
Genetics n. The study of heredity in general and of genes in particular.
Geologic record n. Information captured in rock and decipherable by geologists.
Gill bars n. Structural skeletal elements that support the gas exchange organs of various aquatic animals, like fish and amphibians.
Gill slits n. Pouches or slits in the front region (pharynx) of the digestive tract in chordates. These function in feeding and gas exchange in fishes and some amphibians, but appear during development in all vertebrates.
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Head n. A distinct region of the front end (anterior) of an animal, containing the brain and typically the mouth and sense organs.
Hermaphrodite n. An organism that produces both female and male sex cells.
Horseshoe crab n. Phylum Arthropoda, Order Xiphosura, Class Merostomata. A marine animal found on the east coasts of Asia and North America, related to the scorpions and spiders.
HOX genes n. Genes that control the overall body plan of organisms by controlling other genes and the developmental fate of groups of cells.
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Invertebrate n. Any animal lacking a backbone. Invertebrates make up over 95% of all animal species.
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Jaguar n. Phylum, Chordata, Class Mammalia, Order Carnivora. A large, New World cat (Felidae), found from the U.S.- Mexican border southward to Argentina, usually in swamps, jungles, and other wooded regions.
Jellyfish n. Phylum Cnidaria, Class Scyphozoa, Class Hydrozoa, Class Cubozoa. A free-swimming marine cnidarian that has a nearly transparent, saucer-shaped bell and tentacles and swims by pulsing its body.
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King cobra n. Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Squamata. A large elapid snake from southeastern Asia and the Philippines that can attain a length of 18 feet (5.5 meters).
Kumilupo n. An ancient, sacred Hawaiian chant that speaks of the creation of the world and its inhabitants.
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Larva n. A free-living, immature stage in the life cycle of many animals, often very different in appearance from the adult and usually incapable of reproduction.
Larvacean n. Phylum Chordata, Class Appendicularia. A type of chordate that lives in the open ocean, has no bony structures, and makes its living filtering tiny particles with a self-made net.
Leafy Hornmouth n. Phylum Mollusc, Class Gastropoda. A type of shelled mollusc producing elaborate ridges at phases during shell growth.
Leech n. Phylum Annelida, Class Hirudinea. A flattened type of segmented worm (annelid) with suckers at each end, many of which live solely off the blood of other animals.
Lembeh straights n. A region in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, famous for its muck diving.
Lichen n. An organism formed by the symbiotic association between fungus and photosynthetic algae.
Lumbricus n. Phylum Annelida, Class Oligochaeta Segmented annelids, also called earthworms or angleworms, that live in soil and play a key role in aerating the ground.
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Mammal n. Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia. Animals characterized by body hair and mammary glands that produce milk to nourish their young.
Mantle n. In molluscs, a tissue that covers the gut organs and secretes the animal's hard shell.
Medusa n. (plural: medusae) One of two main body forms in the life cycle of certain cnidarians, typically domeshaped and free-swimming. Compare to polyp.
Metabolism n. The set of biochemical processes which cells use to release energy from complex molecules as well as to build complex molecules.
Metamorphosis n. The dramatic change of structure and lifestyle a larva undergoes when it becomes an adult.
Mitra mitra n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda. A shelled mollusc with a thick shell typically bullet shaped and vaguely resembling a bishop's headdress, or mitre; most commonly found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mollusc (Mollusk) n. Any soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium-carbonate shell secreted by a soft mantle covering the body, and often possessing a single foot and a radula.
Molting v. or adj. In arthropods, the periodic process by which the exoskeleton is discarded and replaced by a new, larger one that allows the animal to grow. (This term can also be applied to birds when they lose their feathers.)
Moon jelly polyp n. The polyp phase of the moon jelly life cycle that asexually buds off the ephyra stage. See ephyra.
Moon snail n. Phylum Mollusca, Order Gastropoda. A predatory marine snail with an impressively large foot that it uses to plough through soft bottoms in search of prey.
Multicellular organism n. An organism composed of many cells, which are to varying degrees integrated and independent.
Muricanthus n. Phylum Mollusc, Order Gastropoda. A type of mollusc with an impressively robust and sculpted shell, found in the Indo-Pacific.
Muscle n. A tissue composed of contractile cells that contain proteins -- actin and myosin -- and is capable of exerting forces by shortening and causing movement among animals.
Mutation n. A change in the DNA of genes that creates genetic diversity.
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Nautiloid n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda, Order Nautiloid Marine shelled animals related to the modern pearly Nautilus, the design of which has persisted for 500 million years.
Nematocyst n. A capsule containing a harpoon-like structure used by cnidarians -- jellyfish, coral, and sea anemones -- for protection, capturing prey, and anchorage.
Nerve n. A specialized cell able to transmit information in the form of electrical signals and found only in animals.
Nerve cord n. In chordate animals, a long, hollow tubular tract of neural tissue located above the notochord that develops into the spinal cord and the brain.
Nerve ring n. In echinoderms, a bundle of nerve cells encircling the mouth and connecting to radial nerves. It functions to relay the sensory and motor signals throughout the body.
Nervous system n. An organized group of cells specialized for the conduction of an electrochemical signal from a receptor through a network to the site at which the response occurs.
Neural crest cells n. A band of cells that migrate to various parts of the embryo and form pigment cells in the skin, the bones of the skull, the teeth, the adrenal glands and parts of the nervous system.
New Caledonia n. French overseas territory in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 900 miles (1,500 kilometres) east of Australia.
Notochord n. A flexible rod supporting the bodies of chordate embryos and some adults, but typically replaced in the adult by a bony vertebral column and persisting only as soft disks between each separate vertebra.
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Opabinia n. A Cambrian Explosion animal, dating back 520 to 512 million years ago, with five eyes and a long nozzle, perhaps with arthropod affinities.
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Paleontologist n. Someone who scientifically studies fossils.
Paleontology n. The scientific study of fossils.
Parasite n. An organism that lives in or on another species and gets its food from the tissues or fluids of its host.
Penis-fencing v. A form of reproduction wherein certain tropical flatworms vie for the opportunity to stab each other with their penises in order to inject sperm into their mate. Each individual has the power to be both male and female (i.e., they are hermaphroditic).
Pharynx n. A part of the gut in animals located between the mouth and the esophagus.
Physiology n. The study of the functioning of living organisms, animal or plant, and the functioning of their tissues or cells.
Pikaia n. Phylum Chordata. A Cambrian Explosion fossil dating back 520 to 512 million years ago, that bears a striking resemblance to today's Amphioxus, or lancelet.
Planarian n. Phylum Platyhelminthes, Class Turbellaria. A group of widely distributed, mostly free-living flatworms with a gut with three branches.
Plankton n. Organisms that drift in mid-water in ponds, lakes, or the sea; generally moved more by water currents than by their own swimming.
Platelet n. A small blood cell important in blood clotting.
Polyp n. See moon jelly polyp.
Praya n. Phylum Cnidaria, Order Siphonophora. A type of cnidarian known as a siphonophore that contains both medusa and polyp forms.
Pycnopodia n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Asteroidea. A large predatory sea star found on the northwest coast of the United States that possesses over 20 arms and is capable of reaching sizes as large as a manhole cover.
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Radial canal n. The branch of the water vascular system connecting all the tube feet.
Radula n. A feeding organ of molluscs that contains teethlike structures for scraping food off surfaces and drawing food into the mouth.
Recombinant DNA n. DNA which has been altered by joining genetic material from two different sources, usually involving putting a gene from one organism into the genome of a different organism, generally of a different species.
ROV n. Remotely operated vehicle, typically aquatic, powered by a cable connected to a power source most commonly on a mothership.
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Salp n. Phylum Chordata, Class Thaliacea, Order Salpida. A type of boneless chordate that lives in the open ocean and can form massive chains of hermaphroditic individuals.
Scale worm n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta. A type of marine bristle worm that can sometimes live out its life in the underarms of sea stars.
Sea cucumber n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea. A group of echinoderms that are soft and leathery, have elongated bodies, and feed by filtering detritus from the water column and/or vacuuming the seafloor.
Sea scorpion n. Phylum Arthropoda, Subphylum Chelicerata, Class Meristomata, Order Eurypteridae A type of vicious, extinct marine arthropod related to horseshoe crabs that reached sizes up to 10 feet (about 3 m) in length and could make short sojourns onto land.
Sea star n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Asteroidea. A group of active predatory echinoderms arranged with a five-part symmetry.
Sea urchin n. Phylum Echinodermata, Class Echinoidea. A group of grazing or burrowing echinoderms typically covered with long sharp spines.
Shell n. A structure in molluscs composed of calcium carbonate secreted by the mantle of the animal, which protects the occupant or similarly functional structures in other groups.
Sieve plate n. A structure in echinoderms through which water can flow in either direction between the water vascular system and the surrounding sea. Also known as a madreporite.
Siphuncle n. A strip of tissue running between the compartments of a cephalopod's shell that helps the animal achieve neutral buoyancy.
Skin gills n. Small finger-like projections from the body wall of the echinoderms that help in ridding the animal of waste and in absorbing oxygen. Also called papulas.
Spaghetti worm n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta, Order Terbellidae A type of tube-dwelling worm that lives in a mucus-lined burrow in the mud and extends its tentacles in all directions over the surface. See Terrebellid.
Spawn v. To release offspring or gametes. Can also be used as a noun.
Spicule n. A needlelike structure made of silica or calcium carbonate that, in large numbers, makes up the supporting framework of various sponges.
Sponge n. Phylum Porifera. A group of organisms at the base of the animal kingdom, characterized by a cellular level of organization and flagellated cells that capture tiny microscopic food the size of bacteria.
Stereo senses n. Paired senses
Stomphia n. Phylum Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Actiniaria. A type of sea anemone found on the northwest coast of the United States that can thrust itself off submerged rocks and swing its body away from advancing predators.
Syrinx aruanus n. Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda. A shelled mollusc that is believed to create the world's largest gastropod shell.
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Tapeworm n. Phylum Platyhelminthes, Class Cestoidea, Subclass Cestoda. A group of parasitic flatworms whose segmented bodies lack digestive organs and are capable of producing extreme numbers of offspring.
Taxonomist n. A type of biologist concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life and deciphering their relationships.
Terrebellid n. Phylum Annelida, Class Polychaeta, Order Terbellidae A type of tube-dwelling worm that lives in a mucus-lined burrow in the mud and extends its tentacles in all directions over the surface. See spaghetti worm.
Tetrapod n. A four-limbed vertebrate, such as an amphibian, reptile, bird, or mammal.
Tissue n. An integrated group of cells with a common structure and function.
Torque n. The force that produces or tends to produce rotation.
Trace fossil n. An imprint of the trackway from an animal long gone that can include the animal's feeding marks, burrows, and feces, as well.
Trilobite n. Phylum Arthropoda, Class Trilobita. A group of extremely prolific arthropods that went extinct 250 million years ago.
Tube feet n. Tubular extensions of the internal watervascular system of echinoderms that aid in locomotion, respiration, and grasping.
Tunicate n. Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Urochordata. A group of boneless chordates whose members begin life as tailed larva and often settle to a sedentary existence devoted to filtering seawater for a living.
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Vasculature n. Tissue consisting of cells joined to form tubes for transporting fluids through a body.
Velvet worm n. Phylum Onychophora. A type of caterpillar-like animal, closely related to arthropods, that has many soft legs and velvety skin.
Vertebrate n. Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata The largest group of Chordates including fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
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Wiwaxia n. An extinct animal that lived during the Cambrian Explosion, believed to be related to today's molluscs.
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