Exotic Animal Field Guide: Nonnative Hoofed Mammals in the United States

Glossary

Glossary Technical terms and specialized language likely to be encountered when reading about exotics are defined below. Diagrams from Mungall and Sheffield’s book, Exotics on the Range,1 illustrate names used in describing conformation of hoofed animals and the parts of antlers. adipose. Fat cells or fat tissue. ad libitum. Allowing animals to eat as much as they want. Also called “free choice.” afterbirth. Membranes within which the fetus had developed that are expelled after the fetus has been expelled (sometimes an hour or more after). In some species, the mother may eat this tissue. age class. An animal age category based on visual characteristics and, thus, useful when studying wild animals under naturalistic conditions. alpha animal. Most dominant animal in a dominance rank order (a “peck order”) within a group of animals. animal unit. The amount of forage needed to maintain a cow on rangeland on a yearround basis. To calculate stocking rates, this amount can then be compared to the amount necessary for other animals. artiodactyl. Any animal in the taxonomic order Artiodactyla, comprised of the eventoed animals, all of which have hoofs, or at least hooflike claws (llamas and camels). bachelor. Male animal with the social status of a nonbreeding male. bachelor group. Group of nonbreeding males. beam (of antler). The main shaft of an antler that grows out from the base and that commonly has projections jutting off of it. See antler diagram. bedding site. Place where an animal lies down to rest. Some hoofed animals habitually reuse the same locations. bifurcated. Divided or forked. boss. A knoblike process on the horns of an animal. Sometimes it is an expansion of the horn that lies across the forehead and shields it (African Cape buffalo), and sometimes it is one of a series of transverse knobs across the front surface of a horn (Siberian ibex). breed. Domestic animals of common origin with characteristics that distinguish them from other groups within the same species. A “race” of domesticated animals. breed. To mate. breeding season. The main time of the year during which mating typically occurs. Some species also have a rut that is the part of the breeding season during which the most intense mating activity occurs. brisket. The breast or lower chest of a quadruped, often projecting conspicuously on the midline as that area passes underneath the animal toward the forelegs. See animal conformation diagram. browse. Woody plants. Often spoken of in relation to the feeding habits of animals that eat leaves or other parts of woody plants as a portion of their diet. 268 glossary brow tine. Sizable antler projection going off of the beam just above the base of the antler . See antler diagram. burr. Rough collar of bone at the base of the antler. Also called “coronet.” See antler diagram. callosities. Hardened, thickened, and hairless areas on the body surface of an animal like those typical of repeated abrasion against hard surfaces (as on knees or sometimes brisket of ibex in rocky habitat). calve. Give birth to a calf. cannon. Lower leg region of hoofed animals that includes the long bone of the leg (the cannon bone). See animal conformation diagram. castrate. To remove the testicles. A male who no longer has his testicles and, therefore, lacks both the normal level of testosterone and the effects of this male hormone on development. A castrated horse is a “gelding.” cervical. Pertaining to the neck. colostrum. The “first milk” produced by the mammary glands of the mother during the first few days after parturition and containing a high concentration of protein and antibodies that help nourish and protect the newborn. conception. Fertilization of the female egg (ovum). conspecific(s). Of the same species. Animal(s) of the same species. coronet. Rough collar of bone at the base of the antler. Also called the “burr.” See animal conformation diagram. glossary 269 crepuscular. Pertaining to the twilight periods of dawn and dusk. crest. Area along the midline of the back of the neck of a hoofed animal, sometimes made prominent by conspicuous muscular development (as a secondary sexual characteristic in some males). See animal conformation diagram. crossbreed. The mating of genetically diverse groups such as different races or species. croup. The top of the haunches of a quadruped. See animal conformation diagram. crown. Cluster of three or more points at the top of an antler. Can suggest a cup in appearance...