Fall Foliage Walk Vocabulary
Amphibian:
any of a class (Amphibia) of exothermic vertebrates (as frogs,
toads, or newts) intermediate in many
characteristics between fishes and
reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae
and air-breathing adults
Bird:
any of a class (Aves) of endothermic vertebrates distinguished by having
the
body more or less completely covered with feathers and the
forelimbs
modified as wings
Dormant:
marked suspension of activity associated with plants
Exothermic:
having a body temperature not internally regulated but
approximating that of the environment (cold-blooded)
Endothermic:
having a relatively high and constant body temperature
independent of the surroundings (warm-blooded)
Forage:
to collect food
Hibernate:
a severe reduction in body temperature (but always above the
freezing point)
for long periods of time, resulting in a decreased metabolism
and respiration
(for example lowering from 98.6 o to 55 o); requires a
period
of time for the animal to become fully active again
Insect:
an animal of phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta with well-defined
head,
thorax, and abdomen, only three pairs of legs, and typically one or two pairs of
wings
Mammal:
any of a class (Mammalia) of higher vertebrates animals that
nourish
their young with milk secreted by mammary glands and have the skin
usually more or less covered with hair of dermal origin
Migrate:
to periodically or seasonally pass distances greater than 100 miles
from one region or climate to another for feeding or
breeding
Reptile:
any of a class (Reptilia) of vertebrates that include the alligators and
crocodiles,
lizards, snakes, turtles, and extinct related forms and are
characterized by ribs attached to the sternum and a body usually covered with
scales or bony plates
Storage:
the act of storing or safekeeping of goods
Torpor:
a slight lowering of the body temperature (a “suspended animation”)
of an
animal by 10 o to 20 o below normal, but normally
significantly above
the ambient temperature (for example 98.6 o
lowered to 80 o) to conserve
energy in order to survive a cold spell;
can resume an active start relatively
quickly compared to hibernation
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