GLOSSARY

This glossary is intended to define some of the terms used on this website and elsewhere when discussing wildlife. The terms have been grouped together into separate headings rather than simply being listed alphabetically.

Activity times

Diurnal: Mainly active during the day
Nocturnal: Mainly active at night
Crepuscular: Mainly active around dawn and dusk

Diet

Carnivore: A carnivore is an animal that eats only meat. An example of a carnivore is a Lion.
Herbivore: A herbivore is an animal that eats only plants. An example of a herbivore is a Springbok.
Omnivore: An omnivore is an animal that eats meat and plants. An example of an omnivore is a Baboon.

Some more examples of herbivores are Elephants, Giraffe, Kudu, Warthog, Impala, Rhino, Hippo and Zebra.
Some more examples of carnivores are Leopard, Cheetah, Hyena, African wild dogs, Tigers, Caracals and Servals.
More examples of Omnivores include the Chimpanzee, Civet, Raccoons and Humans.

Reproduction

Gestation Period: How long an animal is pregnant for.
Altricial: Means that the young are helpless at birth, and are often blind.
Oestrus: The period during which a female animal will mate for breeding purposes.
Precocial: Means that the young are born in an advanced state of development and are not helpless at birth.
Weaning: Weaning is the process of getting a young animal to eat solid food instead of its mother's milk.
Weaned: A young animal is said to be fully weaned when it no longer takes its mothers milk but instead relies fully on solid food.

Other terms

Home Range: The area in which an animal lives and spends most of its time. The animal's sources of food and water will usually be within its home range