Glossary

Keeled Scales (click to enlarge)

Arthropod- Insects, spiders, crustaceans etc. "Insect-like" creatures.

Carapace- Top part of a turtle's shell

Carrion- A dead and decaying carcass

Conifer- A tree or shrub that has needles instead of leaves and produces cones.

​Coniferous- A forest that contains primarily conifer type trees such as pines, spruces and firs. 

Deciduous- A type of forest that contains trees that lose their leaves in autumn and re-bud in spring.  (mixed refers to a forest with both conifers and deciduous trees.

Diurnal- Active during the day

Instar- A stage in an insect's larval life; as certain insects grow they shed their exoskeleton to make room for their growing body. Examples are praying mantids, true bugs, and caterpillars. 

Invertebrates- organisms without a backbone, these include spiders, crustaceans, earthworms, etc. 

Keeled- Refers to small ridge on each scale of certain species of snake. It make the snakes skin feel rough. ​

Nocturnal- Active at night.

Paratoid Gland- The set of kidney shaped "warts" on the back of a toad. These contain toxins which are secreted when an animal bites the toad. 

Plastron- The lower part of a turtle's shell.

Plumage- A bird's feathers, many change in fall and return to normal in the breeding season. 
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Predacious- predatory

Refuse- trash

Tussock- A dense tuft of grass often in a hump shape.