| tactile |
pertaining to touch |
|
| talons |
claws of raptors (birds of prey) |
|
| tampan |
a type of tick; lives in warthog burrows |
|
| tannin |
a chemical produced in the leaves of plants that make the leaves unpalatable to animals |
|
| tapetum |
a reflective layer inside the eyes of animals that maximise the amount of light entering the eye |
|
| tarsi |
The section of the vertebrate foot between the leg and the metatarsus.
The distal part of the leg of an arthropod, usually divided into segments. |
|
| taxon |
a classification unit e.g. Kingdom, Order, Family, species |
|
| taxonomic |
The meaning is subject to the context, but pertains to the taxonomy or the classification of the species. See taxonomy. |
|
| taxonomy |
the classification of organisms into units (related groups) |
|
| tef |
See Lucerne |
|
| telson |
a scorpion's sting |
|
| temporal gland |
A gland found on the head of animals, generally situated between the eyes and ears. Elephants produce a discharge from this gland during Musth |
|
| temporal opening |
Accessory opening behind
each eye socket in the skull of a vertebrate
animal, to accommodate more complex and
powerful jaw muscles (see also Anapsid,
Diapsid, Synapsid) |
|
| tergum |
The protective cuticle found on the dorsal surface of body segments in arthropods. |
|
| termitaria |
the term used to describe the dwelling structure created by termites in which their colony lives. Single termitarium, multiple termitaria. |
|
| termitarium |
a termite colony |
|
| terrane |
Region having similar geological
formations and history |
|
| terrestrial |
related to the land |
|
| territorial |
Animals that defend a particular area against (usually same-sex) rivals of their own species. |
|
| territory |
the area which an animal will defend against members of its own species |
|
| testosterone |
a male hormone that accounts for the development of male characteristics and reproductive drive |
|
| tethys sea |
Sea that is believed to have once
separated Gondwana and Laurasia, the
closing of which gave rise to the Alps and
the Himalayan mountains |
|
| tetrapod |
Vertebrate animals possessing four limbs
instead of fins, i.e. amphibians, reptiles, mam-
mals and birds |
|
| thallophyte |
Thallophytes are plants that do not have vascular conducting tissue - they have no phloem or xylem vessels. Lichen, mosses and liverwortsis are examples of thallophytic plants. |
|
| thallophytes |
plants that do not possess true roots, stems or leaves e.g. bacteria, algae and fungi |
|
| theileriosis (corridor disease) |
protozoal disease transmitted by two tick species causing fever and subsequent death |
|
| therapsid |
Diverse group of mammal-like reptiles
from which mammals evolved |
|
| thermal subsidence |
Subsidence of the lithosphere
(including the crust) caused by cooling; occurs
where the lithosphere has been thinned by
stretching, bringing the hot asthenosphere
closer to the Earth’s surface. As the asthenosphere cools, its density increases and it sub-
sides, causing subsidence of the lithosphere |
|
| thermals |
rising columns of warm air |
|
| thermocline |
the border between two different temperature zones, usually pertaining to water. |
|
| thermophile |
Heat-loving |
|
| thermoregulation |
the regulation of internal body temperature |
|
| therocephalian |
Diverse group of long-ranging
mammal-like reptiles (therapsids) that lived
from the Permian to the mid-Triassic; they
varied in size from that of a meerkat to that
of a large dog |
|
| theropoda |
Two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs
belonging to the Saurischia, including the
smallest dinosaurs known, but also the largest
land-dwelling meat eaters of all time – the
tyrannosaurids; this group of dinosaurs includ-
ed the ancestors of birds |
|
| thigmotropism |
describes a plant's response to contact |
|
| thorax |
breast-plate or part of the insect body between head and abdomen |
|
| thyroxine |
hormone produced by the thyroid gland which regulates metabolism in the body |
|
| ticks |
parasitic arachnids on the skin of dogs, cattle, etc |
|
| tidal flat |
Large, flat area of land that is inundated
at high tide; tidal flats are usually covered by
mud, silt and sand |
|
| topography |
the form of a landsurface eg. valley or crest |
|
| toposequence |
a repetitive pattern of soils always associated with certain terrain morphological units |
|
| torpor |
hibernation on a daily basis |
|
| torsion |
a twist introduced to the body of snails, in which one side of the body grows faster than the other during development |
|
| toxicosis |
any disease condition resulting from the ingestion of a poison or toxic substance |
|
| toxins (plant) |
natural or secondary products produced by a plant which may be harmful to other organisms when ingested |
|
| toxoplasmosis |
protozoal disease causing cysts in infected animals. Also causes abortions and congenital disease in humans |
|
| trachea |
wind pipe connecting the lungs with the mouth |
|
| tracker |
the field guides assistant/partner principally responsible for tracking and finding game |
|
| tranquilizing drugs |
a drug that renders an animal unable to move. The animal is however conscious, awake and aware of its surroundings and experience. Used in game capture |
|
| tranquillized |
a drugged animal which remains aware of its surroundings and cannot be handled easily. Tranquillizers remove fear and anxiety in animals |
|
| transform faults |
Strike-slip (wrench) faults usually
lying perpendicular to a mid-ocean ridge that
compensate for different spreading rates along
the length of the ridge |
|
| transpiration |
the loss of water vapour by plants |
|
| trench |
Elongated depression on the sea floor
formed above a subducting plate |
|
| trilobite |
Early form of scuttling marine arthropod,
distantly related to lobsters, crabs, etc., and
including the first animals to possess eyes
capable of true sight; their bodies are characteristically divided into three longitudinal rows
– hence the group name |
|
| trophic |
the nutritional levels in the food chain |
|
| tropical |
The climate, flora, and fauna of the geographic region between 231A°2 N and 5, the latitudes reached by the sun at its maximum declination, known respectively as the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. |
|
| trunk |
elongated upper lip and nose, muscularised and highly dextrous |
|
| tsunami |
Very large ocean wave caused by a
major geological disturbance such as an
earthquake, volcanic explosion or landslide;
tsunamis travel at 800 – 1 000 km/h; often
incorrectly referred to as tidal waves |
|
| tumescent |
swollen or distended, sometimes abnormally by gas or fluids, but also in the case of swollen sexual display traits |
|
| turbidite |
Sedimentary deposit formed by a
turbidity current |
|
| turbidity current |
Sediment-rich slurry that
cascades down the continental slope onto
the abyssal plain below |
|
| tusks |
elongated upper incisor teeth, mostly used in feeding |
|
| tympanum |
a vibrating membrane in insects which detects sound |
|
|