Glossary

Here's a list of words and terms that are good to know when you are studying native animals, the environment and conservation. The words are in alphabetical order.

 

Breed	To produce more of a species. Animals have babies and plants produce seeds or spores.
Captivity	To be kept in a cage, pen or building, not in the wild.
Conservation	To protect, and manage carefully. To keep from change, loss or injury.
Critically Endangered Species	Numbers are very low and unless the species receives special attention they will become extinct. A critically endangered species needs to be kept safe from predators, like rats and cats and weeds. They often need to be moved to safe places and given help to reproduce.
Domestic Animal	They are pets living in homes with people. Domestic pets depend on people for food and shelter, but may still hunt because it is their natural instinct.
Ecosystem	A natural community of animals and plants which interact with each other and the environment around them.
Endangered Species	There are low numbers of a species and it will become critically endangered if the species does not breed successfully. Endangered species are very vulnerable to habitat destruction and pests. They may need to be moved to safe places to be able to reproduce.
Endemic	A plant or animal found naturally in one country only, eg. kauri is endemic to New Zealand, gum trees are endemic to Australia.
Enemy	Something that causes harm or death.
Environment	The places where people, plants and animals live. What is around us, for example, the marine environment or the forest environment.
Extinct	Extinct means its too late! If a species is extinct there are no more of that species alive in the whole world and that's pretty sad.
Feral Animal	These cats, dogs and ferrets do not depend on people, they are wild. They live away from cities on farmland and in forests.
Habitat	The natural home of an animal or plant.
Incubation	To sit on eggs to keep them warm so they will hatch.
Indigenous	Another word for ‘native’. A plant or animal found naturally in one or a number of countries, eg. the akeake tree is native to both New Zealand and Australia.
Introduced	Introduced means that people have brought a plant or animal to a country where it did not live naturally before, eg. rats, deer and gorse are introduced to New Zealand.
Invertebrate	An animal without a backbone or spine.
Mammal	A warm blooded animal that feeds its young with milk, usually has four legs and hair or fur, eg. monkeys, sheep and cats. Whales, dolphins, seals and bats are mammals too, but have fins, flippers and wings instead of legs. Humans are mammals but have two arms and two legs instead of four legs. All mammals have backbones (vertebrate).
Marsupial	A mammal that has a pouch for its babies to grow in, for example the possum and kangaroo.
Native	A plant or animal found naturally in one or a number of countries, eg. the akeake tree is native to both New Zealand and Australia.
Predator	An animal which kills and eats other animals.
Predator Free	An area or island that has no introduced animals which kill other animals.
Predator – Introduced	An animal brought to New Zealand by people that kills native species, eg. cats, rats, hedgehogs, possums, dogs and ferrets.
Predator - Native	A native species that kills other animals for food, for example the Australasian harrier and the New Zealand falcon, which kill native birds.
Protection	To defend from trouble or harm. To provide a safe place to live.
Rare Species	A species that can only be found in a few places, for example, off-shore islands. They are very vulnerable but are not quite endangered, as long as their habitats (homes) are safe and they are reproducing (breeding) without help from people.
Reproduce	Another word for ‘breed’.
Sanctuary	A place that is protected, where animals and plants can live and breed in safety.
Species	A group of animals or plants that are the same and breed together, eg. the New Zealand robin.
Stray Animal	They are unowned. Stray cats and dogs usually live in towns and cities, scavenging for food. They may become truly feral if they move away from towns and cities.
Sub-species	A group of animals or plants that are different from their own species but not different enough to be a separate species, eg. the Stewart Island robin is a sub-species of the New Zealand robin.
Threatened	Go to the Threatened Species fact sheet Glossary
Vulnerable Species	The species isn't endangered yet. But they are at serious risk of becoming endangered if their numbers are reduced, perhaps by habitat destruction or introduced pests.