| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Ecotone |
| A transition area between two adjacent ecological communities (ecosystems). It may appear on the ground as a gradual blending of the two communities across a broad area, or it may manifest itself as a sharp boundary line. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Mast |
| Mast is the edible seed and fruit produced by trees or shrubs that wildlife species will consume. It comes in two forms.
Hard Mast - Tree species such as oak, hickory and beech produce a hard mast - acorns or hazelnuts. Soft Mast - Other tree and shrub species such as birch, ironwood, pin cherry and flowering dogwood produce a soft mast - catkins, blueberries, cherries, serviceberries, and raspberries. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Undertail Coverts |
| A term used to describe the small feathers at the base of the tail and the underside of the body of a bird. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Dust Bathing |
| When a bird throws soil and dust over its body feathers, just as if it were bathing with water. This is believed to help maintenance of their plumage and/or an anti-parasite function. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Eurasia |
| This area landmass is basically composed of Europe and most of Asia, excluding the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian subcontinent. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Crustacean |
| One of two main classifications of shellfish (Crustacean) and (Mollusk). Any of various predominantly aquatic arthropods of the class Crustacea, including lobsters, crabs, shrimps, and barnacles. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Amphipods (Amphipoda) |
| Amphipods are an order of animals that includes over 7000 described species of small, shrimp-like crustaceans. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Larvae |
| Active, feeding stage in the development of many animals, occurring after birth or hatching and before the adult form is reached. Examples: Insect (butterfly) larvae are called caterpillars, Tadpoles are the larvae of frogs and toads. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Prey - Preying on |
|
Prey
-
An animal hunted and killed for food. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Predator |
| Any animal that lives by preying on other animals. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Intertidal |
| It is a zone between high tide and low tide where an abundance of marine life thrives. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Speculum Feathers |
| The Speculum feathers are the inner (secondary) flight feathers of a duck. They are often brightly colored, especially in dabbling ducks, and can help to identify a duck in flight. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Temperate Area |
| The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally subtle, warm or cool, rather than extreme, burning hot or freezing cold. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Northern Hemisphere |
| The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet's surface that is north of the equator. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Vole |
| A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes. There is little to distinguish a vole from a lemming. Many carnivores such as wolves, owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels and cats eat voles. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Lemming |
| Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic. There is little to distinguish a lemming from a vole. Many carnivores such as wolves, owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels and cats eat lemmings |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Amphibians |
| A cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate, such as a frog or salamander, that hatches as an aquatic larva with gills, then transforms into an adult having air-breathing lungs that can live on land. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Reptiles |
| A cold-blooded, usually egg-laying scaly vertebrate having scales or a horny plate that breaths by means of lungs, such as a crocodile, lizard, turtle or snake. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Polar regions |
| Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles. Polar regions are characterized by the polar climate, extremely cold temperatures, heavy glaciations, and extreme variations in daylight hours, with 24 hour daylight in summer (the midnight sun), and permanent darkness at mid-winter. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Aerial Insectivores |
| Birds that catch insects while flying through the air. |
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| zygodactyl feet |
| Bird's
feet that have the first and fourth toes of each foot directed
backward and the second and third forward. (two toes pointing forward, and two backward) - Most woodpeckers have these feet - |