Lizards & Snakes: Alive! Glossary
Part of the Lizards and Snakes: Alive! exhibition.
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Part of the Lizards and Snakes: Alive! exhibition.
Adaptation (ad-ap-tay-shuhn)An evolutionary process through which species become better suited to its environment
Camouflage (ka-muh-flahj)Features, such as color pattern and morphology, that conceal an organism in its environment
Characteristic (kar-ik-te-ris-tik)A distinguishable feature of an organism
Chemoreception (kee-mo-re-sep-shun)The use of a sensory system to detect chemical cues in the environment
Crypsis (krip-sis)The concealment of an organism in its environment. Mimicry and camouflage are forms of cyrpsis.
Ecosystem (ee-koh-siss-tuhm)A system composed of organisms and their environment
Ectothermic (ek-to-thur-mic)Animals that control their body temperature by moving to warmer or cooler places in their environment. Ectothermic animals are less accurately referred to as "cold-blooded."
Extinct (ek-stingkt)Species with no living representatives. They are gone forever.
Fossil (foss-uhl)Remains or traces of an organism that have become mineralized, or turned to stone over time.
Habitat (hab-uh-tat)The place where an organism lives
Lizard (li-zerd)A common name for certain limbed or limbless squamates
Mimicry (mi-mik-cree)The close resemblance of an organism to another organism or object, giving it an advantage in its environment
Morphology (mor-fol-uh-jee)The physical structure of organisms
Predator (pred-ah-tur)An organism that hunts another for food
Prey (pray)An organism that is hunted by another animal for food
Snakes (snayk-s)One group of mostly limbless squamates
Species (spee-sheez)A particular kind of plant or animal. Members of a species can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
Squamata (skwah-maht-a)A group of limbed and limbless lizards, including snakes
Venom (veh-nuhm)A variety of poisonous fluids that several groups organisms use when hunting or defending themselves
Vertebrate (ver-tuh-brit)Animals with backbones, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals