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GLOSSARY

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agroforestry – Land-use systems that combine agriculture and forestry practices to create a more holistic, integrated, profitable, and sustainable system of food and fiber production.

alpaca – (Lama pacos) A small-sized relative of the llama. Alpacas stand about 1.5 meters tall and weigh about 50 kilograms. The alpaca is found in the Andes Mountains of Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. It has been domesticated for 5,000 years, mainly for its long, fine, silky wool.

Amazonia – The watershed of the Amazon River and its tributaries. Amazonia covers about 40 percent of South America (7,050,000 km²) – half rainforest and the rest savannah ("campo") or scrubby woodland ("cerrado"). Amazonia covers substantial parts of Bolivia, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, though most of the Amazon basin lies within Brazil. It is the largest tract of undeveloped forest and greatest single concentration of biodiversity in the world.

amphibians – A class of animals with backbones (vertebrates) that includes frogs, salamanders and caecilians. Amphibians have moist skin and do not have scales, feathers, or hair. Amphibians can live in water or on land. Most lay eggs in water and their larvae go through a complex metamorphosis process as they grow to adulthood and move to land. It is thought that amphibians were the first animals to venture out from the water and adapt to life on land.

anoas – 2 species of small (150 - 300 kilograms), endangered relatives of the buffalo found only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi: the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) and the mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi). They are unusual among buffalo because they rely on undisturbed forest. Anoas live alone or in pairs, rather than in herds, except when the cows are about to give birth.

apalis – (Family: Sylviidae) Small (about 10 centimeters) warbler songbirds found in Southern Africa. Apalis eat fruit and insects. Many species are restricted to open grassland and scrub habitat.

aquaculture – The farming of freshwater and marine organisms including fish (such as salmon or tilapia), shrimp, oysters, mussels (and other molluscs), crustaceans, crocodiles, alligators, amphibians, and plants. Land-based systems include fish raised in flooded rice fields; aquatic-based systems generally use floating pens to rear juveniles under captive conditions. Concerns with aquaculture include the escape of invasive species, which may spread disease, and pollution from high concentrations of organisms in "fish farms."

araucaria – Tall (up to 40 meters) evergreen trees, such as the monkey-puzzle tree of Chile or the Norfolk Island pine, native to Oceania and South America.

armadillo – Cat-sized, armored mammals, found in warm, dry areas of South America. They are related to sloths and anteaters. They dig burrows and dig for insects, although they occasionally eat plants, berries, or bird eggs, or scavenge dead animals. Females give birth to identical quadruplets. Unlike other mammals, young develop from the same egg and a single placenta.

atoll – A nearly circular island initally formed by a volcano, which eroded leaving a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon.

biodiversity – The variety of plants and animals and other living things in a particular area or region. Biodiversity is important because plant and animal species interact and depend upon one another for food, shelter, oxygen, and soil enrichment.

biome – A major ecological community, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment. For example, the world can be divided into at least five major biomes: aquatic; deserts; forests; grasslands; and tundra.

biosphere reserves – Internationally recognized areas within UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program that promote a balanced relationship between people and nature to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. In September, 2001, there were 411 biosphere reserves in 94 countries.

biota – The plants, animals, and other living organisms found in a specific region or during a specific geologic period.

bontebok – (Damaliscus dorcas), A South African antelope about 2 meters tall, which weighs about 60 kilograms. Due to hunting and pressure from agriculture and domesticated livestock, the bontebok became one of the rarest antelopes in the world, but careful conservation has ensured its survival and numbers have risen from 15 to over 15,000.

broadleaf forests – Deciduous forests, as opposed to evergreen coniferous forests. Structurally, these forests have four layers: a canopy of mature trees, with emergent trees poking through the canopy layer, a shrub layer, and an understory of grasses and other herbs. The most species-rich broadleaf forests occur in central China and eastern North America, with some unique regions in the Caucasus, the Himalayas, southern Europe, and the Russian Far East.

bromeliad – A large family of plants with 56 genera, found in South America (although one species is found in West Africa). The rosette-forming bromeliads grow in all habitats– rainforests to deserts– and up to 7000 meters. Some are terrestrial (the most famous being pineapples) and some grow on rocks, but bromeliads are best known as piphytes– that is, they grow on other plants. Bromeliads use water efficiently and many species have "tanks" – that is, leaves that funnel and store water in the center of the plant. Many animals, such as insects and amphibians, live and breed in these tanks.

bushmeat – Meat from animals caught in the wild (in Africa, the forest is called 'the bush'). Often caught by poachers, a commercial trade exists in wild animals such as primates, antelopes, crocodiles, procupines, wild pigs, rodents, lizards, and birds. This trade threatens many species, including endangered species. Bushmeat does not generally refer to species caught for the pet trade.

caracara – (Family: Falconidae) A type of falcon with long-legs. They are slow fliers that feed opportunistically, mainly on carrion. The Crested Caracara is the national bird of Mexico.

Centers of Plant Diversity – Centres of Plant Diversity is a project of the IUCN and WWF. The objective is to identify areas with the greatest number of plant species; to document the many social, economic, and scientific benefits that conserving these areas would offer; and to outline a strategy for the conservation of these areas of global priority.

cephalopod – A class of marine molluscs that include squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and nautiulus. They all have a circle of prehensile tentacles and a muscular funnel through which they expel water to provide them with a form of jet propulsion.

Cerradão – Savannah, woodland/savannah, and dry forest ecosystems. Cerradão occupies the central Brazil plateau, and its plants are considered the richest of all tropical savannah regions, with very high levels of endemism. The cerrado is the second largest (2,100,000 km²) of Brazil's major ecoregions. The term "Cerrado" means "dense" or "closed," which is ironic given the openness of the savannah.

chaparral – This oak-dominated scrub forest with a Mediterranean-like climate is found in California. Although the winters are rainy, the summers can be dry and therefore, many of the plants have thick, leathery leaves to conserve water. Fires caused by lightning strikes are common and many plants have adapted to burning, including some that will not release their seeds until after a fire. Chaparral-like communities are also found on the west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, the western tip of Australia, and coastal areas of the Mediterranean.

chinchilla – A family of 6 species of southern South American rodents (about 25 centimeters long). Their forelimbs are short, but their hind legs are large and they are good jumpers. Their eyes are large, their tails are often bushy, and their ears are large and rounded. The Incas raised them for their fur.

cinclodes – (Family: Furnariidae) Small songbirds related to ovenbirds, found only in Latin America. Typically found in high elevation paramo habitat, although some species live along the coast. They forage on the ground for insects.

colobus – A genus of mid-sized, leaf-eating African monkeys. They are related to baboons and mandrills, as well as to the langurs and macaques of Southeast Asia.

copra – The dried flesh or kernel of a coconut. Coconut oil is extraced by boiling and pressing the copra.

cordillera – Cordillera is spanish for mountain range. Cordillera is used to describe the high elevation communities along the mountain ranges that form the spine of continents, such as the Andes in South America, or the Rocky Mountains in North America.

CR – (Critically Endangered). One of three categories of threat on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

crocodilians – An order that includes the crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gavials. They are large, aquatic, carnivorous, tropical reptiles. Their snout is long with strong teeth, their skin is armoured, and they have short powerful limbs and a flattened tail. They are closely related to the dinosaurs.

curassow – (Family: Cracidae) The 14 species of curassow are native to Latin America. They are goose-sized, larger, and more terrestrial than their relatives the guans and chachalacas. Curassows feed both on the ground, like pheasants, and in trees. They have ornate knobs and wattles.

dipterocarps – The predominant family of canopy trees (up to 60 meters tall and 2 meters wide) in the lowland tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia. They dominate the forest – often more than half of the trees in the canopy are dipterocarps – and they dominate the forest industry. Their most remarkable feature is their reproduction; they do not fruit every year, but in cycles apparently tied to El Nino (every about 5 years). The reproduction of many other tree (and animal) species are tied to the 'masting' of the dipterocarps.

Douc langur – (Pygathrix nemaeus; Family: Cercophithecidae). A 10 kilogram leaf-monkey found in the rainforests and gallery forests of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

dry forests – Dry Forests occur in areas that are warm, and may receive lots of rain, but have long dry seasons during which the trees lose their leaves to conserve water. Dry forests are found in southern Mexico, southeastern Africa, the Lesser Sundas of Southeast Asia, central India, Indochina, Madagascar, New Caledonia, eastern Bolivia, central Brazil, the Caribbean, valleys of the northern Andes, and along the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. Although biodiversity is less than in rainforests, dry forests still contain many plants and animals, including monkeys, large cats, and parrots, with special adaptations for the extremes of the dry season. Dry forests are important areas for timber species such as mahogany, ebony, and teak.

duiker – Small (less than 40 kilogram) African antelopes that dive into dense vegetation for protection (duiker means "diving buck"). Some inhabit dense jungles, others open country with scattered trees and bushes. Duikers eat plants, but will also hunt small animals, such as birds. They are territorial, but, unlike most antelopes, they are solitary.

echinoderms – Phylum of spiny-skinned marine invertebrates. They are highly variable and include starfish, sea urchins, brittle stars, and sea cucumbers.

ecoregions – Ecoregions (or ecozones) are relatively large units of land or water that contain distinct assemblages of natural communities sharing a majority of species, climate, soils, environmental conditions, and general topography. For example, ecoregions at the continental scale would be Australia or Latin America, whereas on a country scale, the boreal forest and Atlantic Maritimes are different ecoregions of Canada.

ecosystem – A community of plants, animals, and other organisms, plus their physical environment.

elands – (Taurotragus oryx) Large (about 2 meters tall, about 800 kilograms) antelope of Africa. Elands form large herds when grazing. Their numbers have been severly reduced by hunting.

EN – (Endangered). One of three categories of threat on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

endemic – Restricted to a particular geographic region and found nowhere else in the world.

Endemic Bird Areas – The NGO BirdLife International has identified the 218 Endemic Bird Areas worldwide where two or more bird species live that have restricted ranges less than 50,000 km². Most of these areas occur on islands or in mountainous regions and more than 83 percent are forested. More than 20 percent of the world's bird species, including 74 percent of all threatened species, are confined to just 1 percent of the world's land surface within these Endemic Bird Areas and therefore these regions should be the focus of conservation efforts.

endemism – The measure or quality of being found in a given location or region and nowhere else in the world.

eucalyptus – Evergreen trees native to Australia. The about 800 species live across all habitats and comprise about two-thirds of Australia's vegetation. Eucalyptus amygdalin is the world's tallest known tree — up to about 150 meters, taller than even the California Sequoias. Many species yield valuable timber, others medicinal oils (such as eucalyptus), and kino. Kaola bears only eat eucalyptus leaves.

false gharial – (Tomistoma schlegelii) A large (up to 5 meters in length) crocodilian with a long slender snout. Endangered, it is found in freshwater systems in Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, possibly Sulawesi), Malaysia (Malay Peninsula, Borneo), possibly Vietnam, and is possibly extirpated in Thailand (none seen since 1970).

fynbos – The distinctive plant community found within the small (about 80,000 km²) Mediterranean-like heathlands of the Cape of South Africa. The fynbos contains over 7,700 plant species, of which about 70 percent are endemic — found nowhere else in the world. The soils are poor, so the fynbos does not support large animals, but many of the small animals are also endemic. One of the most fascinating families in the fynbos is the heath family (Ericaceae, such as blueberries or rhododendrons); there are over 600 heath species, whereas the rest of the world has only 26. Some of the fynbos species are located in extremely restricted ranges — some smaller than half a soccer field. Threats to the fynbos include development, fire, and invasive species such as the acacia trees introduced from Australia.

galagos – Also called bushbabies, galagos are found in forests of Africa. They are cat-sized (about 30 centimeters and 500 grams), furry with large eyes, ears, and tails. They live in trees and eat almost anything, although they mainly eat insects.

gallery forests – Corridors of forests that form alongside rivers.

galliform – Birds such as pheasants, turkeys, grouse, and curassows. They are mainly terrestrial, and heavily hunted.

geckos – Small, insectivorous, mainly nocturnal lizards. They have 'adhesive' fingers and toes for climbing vertical surfaces and produce sounds such as chirping, squeaking, or barking. There are more than 400 species of geckos found throughout the tropics and subtropics.

gemsbok – (Oryx gazella) A large (200 kilograms, 1.2 meters tall) gazelle of Africa. They are nomadic and live in large groups. Grazers, they are found in dry plains, desert, and occasionally in savanna. They can survive without water by obtaining sufficient moisture from the plants they eat.

genera – (plural of genus) A group of organisms marked by common characteristics and evolutionary background; more precisely, it is the category of biological classification between Family and Species.

gigantism – Animals or plants that are far greater in size than normal. For example, on some islands animals become huge, such as the moas of New Zealand, the dodo of Mauritius, the elephant birds of Madagascar, the marine iguanas of the Galapagos Islands, or the Komodo Dragon of the Indonesian Komodo Island. It may be that the islands are free from predators and thus, the prey no longer need to be agile to escape predation, but gigantism may also result from abundant food or reduced competition.

gneiss – Metamorphic rock that forms when sedimentary or igneous rock is subjected to high temperatures and pressures. Granite often becomes gneiss rock.

goral – The three goral species (Nemorhaedus spp.) of eastern China are goat-like, halfway between true antelopes and true goats. They are more heavily built and have heavier, broader hooves than comparable sized antelopes (75 centimeters tall, 40 kilograms). Gorals live in dry, rocky, and steep habitats, usually between 900 - 2,500 meters. Humans pose the greatest threat; gorals are now endangered because they are hunted for their warm fur, as food, and for their body parts, which are prized as medicine.

grassquit – (Family: Emberizidae) Small, brightly colored songbirds with conical bills found in Latin America. They are seed eaters, although they occasionally eat insects.

grebe – (Family: Podicipedidae) 20 species of duck- and loon-like diving birds found world-wide. They feed on fish and invertebrates and nest on floating platforms of vegetation.

grysbok – (Raphicerus melanotis) A small (50 centimeters tall, 10 kilograms) antelope that lives among the sand dunes in South Africa. A grazer, it is solitary and territorial.

guan – (Family: Cracidae) 41 species of large, pheasant-like birds found in Latin America and the southern USA. They often have ornate knobs and wattles and many have crests. They live in trees, feeding on fruit and leaves.

guanaco – (Lama guanicoe) A large (150 centimeters tall, 150 kilograms) relative of the llama that lives in the Andes of South America. Guanacos are not domesticated.

guenon – (Cercopithecus spp.) A genus of small-sized monkeys found in Africa. They live in trees and eat invertebrates, plant parts, and fruit. Many guenons are threatened or endangered due to habitat destruction, hunting, and a restricted geographical distribution. Guenon comes from the French word, meaning fright, because they grimace and expose teeth when they are excited or angry.

gymnosperms – Unlike angiosperms, gymnosperms have "naked" seeds, commonly in a pinecone. The five orders of gymnosperms are: conifers, yews, cycads, ginkos, and gnetales (an intermediate order between gymnosperms and angiosperms).

habitat-specialist – Species that can only survive in a specific environment, such as those that rely on certain prey species, or only live on scree slopes.

heath forest – Forest dominated by shrubs of the plant family Ericaceae (such as blueberries or rhododendrons), often in open, high elevation areas with acidic and poorly drained soil.

herbaceous – Plants that do not have woody stems. Herbaceous plants are typically sun-loving, occupying fields, road-sides, and clearings. Herbaceous plants include a wide variety of grasses and forbs (broad-leaf plants often referred to as wildflowers or weeds).

hornbills – (Order: Bucerotiformes) Hornbills are large, loud birds with large beaks, often with casques. The 54 species are found in the old world (Africa and Asia). They are found in many different habitats and have a wide diet. They are monogamous; the female seals herself into a tree cavity while she is nesting and relies solely on the male to feed her and the chick.

hutias – Hutias are large (4 kilograms) rodents of the West Indies. The 20 species of hutias are found in habitats on rocky outcrops and are social. They have a general vegetarian diet. Hunting, habitat loss, and their naturally restricted range have left many hutia endangered.

invertebrate – Animals that lack a back-bone (vertebrae).

IUCN categories I-IV – In the IUCN classification system for protected areas, categories I-IV refer to higher levels of protection.

IUCN Red List – The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provides information on the conservation status of species that have been globally evaluated for their probability of extinction using quantitative criteria.

jaguarundi – (Felis yagouaroundi) A cat weighing about 5 kilograms, found from Arizona south to Argentina. The jaguarundi is so sleek that it almost looks like a weasel. It is found in a variety of lowland habitats, and has a general diet, although it appears to prefer ground-nesting birds.

jarrah – (Eucalyptus marginata; Family: Myrtaceae). An important timber species of West Australia.

junco – (Family: Emberizidae) Small, seed-eating songbirds of North America, closely related to sparrows. They feed on the ground. When they fly, they flash their white outer-tail feathers.

kagu – The kagu is the only member of the family Rhynochetidae. Resembling a short (60 centimeter) heron, it is actually related to the rails (such as the American coot). It is only found on New Caledonia (it is their national symbol). Although it is found throughout New Caledonia, introduced predators and habitat loss have driven the number of kagu down to less than 1000 (it is highly endangered).

karri – (Eucalyptus diversifolia; Family: Myrtaceae). An important timber species of West Australia.

kiwi – (Family: Apterygidae) Flightless birds found only in New Zealand (it is their national symbol). Although kiwis are the size of chickens, remarkably their eggs are almost the size of an ostrich's — a world record for their size. Kiwis do not eat kiwifruit, but use their long beak to dig for invertebrates, mainly worms. They supplement this diet with leaves, fruit, and seeds. Their feathers are modified and hair-like. Introduced predators and habitat loss have endangered the kiwi.

klipspringer – (Oreotragus oreotragus). The only antelope in Africa that lives on cliff-faces. Small (50 centimeters tall, 11 kilograms), they browse on leaves, fruit and seeds, and do not rely on water. They get enough moisture from their food.

kwongan – An aboriginal word from southwestern Australia referring to the open, scrubby vegetation on sandy soil, similar to the fynbos, chaparral, or matorral. Approximately 30 percent of SW Australia was kwongan, but most has now been cleared for development.

land tenure – Rights of ownership of land. Many indigenous people are struggling to have state authorities recognize their tenure of traditional lands.

langur – Leaf monkeys (mainly Presbytis spp.; Family: Cercophithecidae). Langurs are about six kilogram monkeys found in the rainforests and gallery forests of Asia. They only eat leaves.

lateritic – In general, any reddish soil developed as a result of the weathering (natural erosion) of soil. The red color is due to the presence of hydrated iron or aluminum oxides. Laterite is the most eroded soil possible and thus low in nutrients– as in many tropical soils.

lemurs – An order of primates found only in Madagascar that are thought to resemble the early ancestors of monkeys, apes, and humans. They live in trees, eat leaves and fruit, and most are social. They range from tiny (the pygmy mouse lemur weighs only 30 grams) to about 7 kilograms.

lion tamarins – (Family: Callitrichidae) Small, squirrel-sized monkeys found only in eastern South America. They are social, live in trees, and eat insects and whatever they can catch. They are relatives of marmosets. The lion tamarins have a mane, like a lion. Habitat destruction has made many of the species endangered.

loris – (Nycticebus spp.; Family: Lorisidae) Small, cat-sized relatives of lemurs that are found in Asia. They live in trees and are a solitary, wide-eyed, nocturnal species that eats invertebrates and small sleeping vertebrates that they catch. Habitat destruction and the pet trade are threatening the lorises.

macaque – (Macaca spp.; Family: Cercopithecidae) Medium-sized monkeys of Asia and Africa (Rhesus monkeys). They live in many different habitats, on the ground and in trees. Macaques eat fruit and leaves, plus most anything that they catch.

mangabey – (Cercocebus spp.; Family: Cercopithecidae) Medium-sized African monkeys that appear more similar to baboons and chimps than to the guenons, which are their true relatives. They are social and live in trees, eating leaves and fruits. They are threatened by deforestation and dam and irrigation projects.

mangroves – Salt-tolerant woody plants that grow in muddy swamps inundated by tides. Mangrove plants form communities that help stabilize banks and coastlines.

maquis – Scrub vegetation in the Mediterranean basin, similar to California's chaparral, Chile's matorral, South Africa's fynbos, and the Western Australian kwongan. Typically made up of low evergreen shrubs and oaks.

marri – (Eucalyptus calophylla; Family: Myrtaceae). An important timber species of West Australia.

matorral – An about 100 km wide strip of Mediterranean-like scrub along the coastal mountains of Chile, it is characterized by evergreen shrubs 1-3 meters in height and herbs. It more diverse than the chaparral of southern California. Matorral habitats also occur in central Mexico and other areas with Mediterranean-like scrubland.

megafauna – Large vertebrate animals, especially those that went extinct during the Pleistocene, such as giant lemurs, elephant birds, mammoths, mastodons, sabretooth tigers, and ground sloths.

microhabitats – A small, usually distinctly specialized habitat, such as the tank of water inside a bromeliad.

mongoose – Weasel-like (short legs, long bodied) carnivores of Africa and Asia. The best known mongoose is the snake-killer, Rikki Tikki Tavi, in Kipling's stories. They have been introduced to many islands, often in the vain attempt to control rat populations in sugar-cane fields. Where introduced, instead of rats, they have killed many of the native animal species.

monotypic – Characterized by only one species. A monotypic genus or family has only one species.

montane coniferous forests – The upper forest zone in tropical montain rainforests. Trees are often less than 10 meters tall, heavily covered in ephyphytes (other plants), and the understory is dominated by ferns and liverworts.

muriquis – (Brachyteles arachnoids - Woolly Spider Monkey; Family: Cebidae) One of the world's rarest animals (fewer than 1000 remain), muriquis (15 kilograms) are only found in the Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil. Habitat destruction has dramatically reduced their habitat. They live in trees, and eat leaves and fruits.

murrelet – Small sea-birds, about the size of a robin. They have webbed feet, sharp black bills, and pointed wings. They flap their wings underwater to swim in pursuit of fish and other prey. Some, such as the marbled murrelet, nest only on the branches of large trees in old-growth forests.

Namaqualand speckled padloper – (Homopus signatus signatus) A small turtle found in Little Namaqualand and the Western Cape (South Africa). They are relatively common, but their restricted range makes them vulnerable.

Neotropics – The tropical region of Central and South America; the New World as opposed to the Old World (paleotropics of Africa and Asia).

nightjar – (Family: Caprimulgidae) Long-winged birds, they hunt insects by swooping high in the air while flying. They hunt at dusk and dawn. They are found world-wide.

numbat – (Myrmecobius fasciatus – the banded anteater). This squirrel-sized marsupial mainly eats termites. Slow moving and solitary, they are active by day. At night, numbats sleep in a hollow log or under fallen timber. Numbats are found only in southwest Australia.

ocelot – (Leopardus pardalis) Medium-sized (500 centimeters – 1 meter long, 10 –15 kilograms) cat from Central and South America. They live in forests and hunt at night for small prey.

pangolins – (Pholidota spp.) The 7 species of scaly anteaters of Africa and southeast Asia. They feed on ants and termites.

páramo – A plant community of shrub heath, mosses, fern meadows, and grasslands above tree line in the Andes of South America.

parthenogenetic – Reproduction from an unfertilized gamete, which occurs especially among lower plants and invertebrates (a form of asexual or self- reproduction).

peat swamp forests – Forests formed in areas where litter fails to decay in ground that is waterlogged, salty, or high in sulfide. The litter continues to build up into a deep organic, yet infertile, layer. The importance of peat swamps include flood mitigation, water supply, providing habitats for many endemic plants and animals, and as a sink for organic carbon. Some peat swamps occur in the neotropics (including the pegass swamps of Guyana), and to a limited extent in Africa, but peat swamps are most common in Southeast Asia.

phytogeographic – Plant communities that are defined by landscape or geographic characteristics. For example, low and high elevation forests can be divided by the 1000 meter contour line.

Pleistocene Epoch – The geologic epoch of 1.8 million - 8,000 years ago– the earliest epoch of the Quaternary, also known as the "Great Ice Age."

poaching – Illegal harvest of wildlife, including plants. For example, illegally collecting bushmeat or medicinal plants.

pochard – (Aythya innotata) A freshwater diving-duck found only in Madagascar. It is thought to be found only in Lake Alaotra, if it is not already extinct.

prosimian – Primates that appear in the fossil record before monkeys, apes, and humans. Prosimians include lemurs, lorises, galagos, pottos, and tarsiers.

protea – A family of 115 species of woody shrubs or trees found in South Africa, commonly known as sugarbushes. More than half (69 spp.) are found only in the fynbos. Flowers have large heads and plenty of nectar.

pudu – (Pudu spp.). The two species of pudu deer are found only in Argentina and Chile. They are the world's smallest deer (65 centimeter length, 10 kilograms). They live in the savannah and in the forest, and they are threatened by habitat destruction.

puna – The grass-dominated vegetation of the drier, southern high Andes. The climate is cold and dry. Many of the species are endemic to the puna. Agriculture and grazing are the major threats.

quagga – (Equus quagga) Recently extinct (1880s), the quagga was closely related to horses and zebras. It was a yellowish-brown zebra with stripes only on its head, neck, and forebody. The quagga was native to desert areas of the African continent until it was exterminated in the wild in the 1870s.

quinine – A bitter medicinal extract (a crystalline alkaloid) from the bark of the cinchona tree that is found in the Andes of Ecuador and Peru. Quinine is used as an antimalarial, antipyretic, and anitperiodic.

quokka – (Setonix brachyurus) A cat-sized marsupial that looks like a wallaby or kangaroo, quokkas (the Aboriginal name) are found only in southwest Australia, mainly on Rottnest Island. Quokkas sleep in small groups during the day in the shelter of dense vegetation, and at night they converge on waterholes in large social groups. They eat grasses and succulent plants.

rail – (Family: Rallidae) Small to medium-sized birds. Rails are secretive, solitary, and live in and around marshes. They eat animals and plants. There are more than 125 species world-wide. They are mainly threatened by agricultural encroachment and destruction and drainage of wetlands for urban sprawl.

red disa – (Disa uniflora) An orchid, as well as the symbol of the Cape Province of South Africa.

refugia – An area with relatively unaltered climate that is inhabitated by plants and animals during periods of large-scale climatic change (for example, glaciation) and that remains a center of relict forms from which the species disperse and speciation occurs once the climate reverts.

reptiles – A class of air-breathing, cold-blooded, scaly, vertebrates. There are more than 6,000 species on all continents, except Antarctica, including snakes, crocodiles, lizards, and turtles.

restricted range species – Plants or animals that are only found in a specific area or region. For example, the NGO BirdLife International defines bird species with restricted ranges as those species found in an area less than 50,000 km².

rhea – (Rhea americana) Also called the nandu, the rhea is a flightless bird from the forests of South America. At 2 meters tall, it is the largest bird in the Americas and a fast runner. Rheas congregate in flocks of about 20 to 30 birds. They eat plants, but will eat any small animals they catch. They are related to ostriches, emus, and cassowaries.

rhododendrons – (Family: Ericaecae) about 850 species of poisonous trees and shrubs found in emperate and Southeast Asian tropical highlands. They typically have large, shiny, leathery evergreen leaves and clusters of large pink, white, or purplish flowers.

riparian – Habitat along rivers or streams.

ruil forest – An endemic forest restricted to 100 kilometers of the temperate coastal range of Central Chile, in association with Nothofagus glauca, and Nothofagus obliqua. In 1981 the ruil forest was 825 hectares, but ten years later it had shrunk to 352 hectares, mainly due to the expansion of Monterrey pine plantations. The remnant ruil forest is composed of several small, regular fragments and few large, irregular ones, relatively isolated, surrounded by pine plantations. Despite being a unique and severely threatened ecosystem, only 45 hectares of the ruil forest are under protection in the Chilean System of Protected Areas.

saola – (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) Vu Quang Ox. Only discovered by western scientists in 1992, the soala (150 centimeters tall and 90 kilograms) is considered to be the greatest animal discovery in recent times, and is so different from any currently known species that it was put into its own genus. It is shy and lives in the dense montane forests in the Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos. Only 11 individuals have been recorded.

savanna – (Amerind term for plains) Savannas, such as the Serengeti in Africa, are grasslands. They may have a few sparsely distributed drought-resistant, fire-resistant, or browse-resistant trees. Savannas are also referred to as llanos or cerrado.

sclerophyllous – Having tough, leathery leaves&ndash. In the tropics it is a characteristic of heath forest.

scree community – Plant and animal community that lives among the accumulated stones and rocky debris lying along mountain slopes.

semidecidious – Forest of broad-leaf trees where just a few species lose their leaves during the dry season.

seriema – (Family: Cariamidae) Long-necked, long-legged birds that are poor fliers but fast runners. They live in the grasslands and forests of Latin America. They feed on small animals. They look similar to the secretary bird of Africa.

shrike – (Family: Laniidae) Medium-sized predatory songbirds with hooked bills similar to birds of prey. They live in open areas and on the edges of forests. Many shrikes impale their prey on thorns. They are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

siltation – Clogging of waterways with very fine, loose sediment. Siltation is closely related with deforestation and soil erosion. The Yangtze River is the 4th most silt-laden river in the world. Every year, it carries about 680 million tons of silt to the East China Sea.

silverswords – (Argyroxiphium spp.; Family: Asteraceae) Woody plants found only in Hawaii that vary in shape from cushion plants to shrubs to trees.

sisal – (Agave sisalana) Bahamian hemp. A widely cultivated South American plant species whose fiber is used for twine.

siskin – (Faimly: Fringillidae) Siskins are seed-eating songbirds in the finch family. They are the size of goldfinches (about 8 centimeters).

skinks – (Family: Scincidae) The most species-rich lizard family with about 1,200 species. Their scales are smooth and they eat mainly insects. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

solenodons – (Family: Solenodontidae) Solendons look like shrews (alhtough they are not related) but are larger (30 centimeters long). The 2 species are only found on Haiti and the Dominican Republic and in Cuba. They live in burrows in wooded areas. They are active at night, hunting for insects. Habitat destruction is their biggest threat.

speckled padloper – (Homopus signatus) A small turtle found in the Western Cape (South Africa).

springbok – (Antidorcas marsupialis) A medium-sized antelope (35 kilograms) that lives in the dry savannas and sub-desert regions of South Africa.

statutory – Laws or regulations that are created and enacted by legislatures.

steenbok – (Raphicerus campestris) A small antelope (15 kilograms) of the dry regions of southern and eastern Africa that prefers some dense cover.

steppe – Vast treeless plains, sometimes called shortgrass prairie. Generally steppe areas are arid with extreme range in temperature. Among the most famous steppes are the great plains in southeast Russia and southwest Asia.

stoats – Stoats are small weasels. They feed mainly on small mammals. They were introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800s to control introduced rabbits. However, they now kill much of the native wildlife (for example, about 60 percent of all kiwi bird chicks) that never evolved with mammalian predators.

strand vegetation – The plant community along the narrow littoral marine zone that includes the beach, foredune, and the sandy habitat up to the edge of stabilized dunes or inland vegetation. Strand vegetation are generally perennial plants that can tolerate salt spray, blowing sand, storm surf, and high tides.

takin – (Budorcas taxicolor) Takins are wild goats about the size of a cow. The only species of takin is found in high elevation sites in central China. Males are about 2 meters tall and weigh 400 kilograms, females are about half that size. Their golden fur may have been the "golden fleece" searched for by Jason and the Argonauts.

tamaraw – (Bubalus mindorensis) A small (300 kilograms) wild buffalo found only on the Philippine island of Mindoro. Tamaraw live in dense forests with open areas where they graze. Habitat destruction and hunting have reduced their population size. Currently one of the world's rarest animals, there are less than 200 remaining.

tamarin – Small, squirrel-like monkeys of South America. They live in trees, are very social, and mainly eat insects and fruit.

tapir – Although they are mistaken for pigs, tapirs are related to horses and rhinos. Shy, solitary, feeding on plants, tapirs can weigh up to 300 kilograms. Three species are found in Latin America and one species, the largest, is found in Asia.

taxa – (Plural of taxon). In the formal system of scientifically classifying organisms according to their presumed evolutionary relationships, taxa are the various groups of organisms.

teak – Tectona grandis (Family: Verbanaceae). A valuable timber species originally found in India and Southeast Asia that is used for fine furniture, flooring, and boat-building.

thrush – (Family: Turdidae) Medium-sized (about 20 centimeters long) songbirds, found worldwide. Thrushes are usually brown with speckles of other colors.

tinamou – (Family: Tinamidae) Medium-sized, dumpy birds, which spend most of their time on the ground, preferring to run rather than fly. They live in many habitats, feeding on fruit and seeds. The 46 species are all found in Latin America.

topography – The configuation of the surface of land, including the position of natural objects.

tuataras – The two lizard-like tuatara species (Sphenodon punctatus and Sphenodon guntheri) are found only on about 30 small islands off the coast of New Zealand. They are up to 60 centimeters long with a crest on their back. They have a pineal eye (an eye with a lens and retina on the top of their head that is linked by nerves to the brain), the function of which is uncertain.

tur – (Capra caucasica) A 150 centimeter tall, 75 kilogram goat-like animal found in high elevation sites in the Caucasus Mountains. They have large scimitar-shaped and heavily ridged horns that can average 75 centimeters in length.

ungulate – Hoofed mammals. Ungulate is now used as a name to group together six taxonomic orders: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates, eg., pigs, camels, deer, and cattle); Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates, eg., horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses); Hyracoidea (hyraxes); Proboscidea (elephants); Sirenia (sea-cows); and Tubulidentata (the aardvark).

vascular – A system of channels to move fluid such as sap in plants or blood in animals.

vernal – Relating to spring-time. For example, vernal pools only form temporarily during heavy spring rains.

vertebrates – Animals with a bony or cartilaginous backbone (vertebrae).

vicuña – Vicugna vicugna, a small-sized relative of the llama. They stand about 1.5 meters tall and weigh about 50 kilograms. They live in the high regions of the Andes, between 3,000 and 4,600 meters in altitude.

vizcacha – (Lagidium viscacia) A chinchilla found in Chile.

VU – (Vulnerable). One of three categories of threat on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

wattle – Refers to 1,200 species of Acacia, in the legume family. Wattles are found around the world but predominantly in Australia. Australia's national floral emblem is the Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha. Wattle Day is celebrated on September 1.

yungas – The lowland rainforest in the valleys of the eastern piedmont of the Andes Mountains (1,524-2,438 meters), from the Peru-Bolivia border southeast into Bolivia. Although isolated and very difficult to access, the yungas were a major source of rubber and quinine in the early 20th century. Coca, sugarcane, and coffee are now grown there.

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