Documents for "Vertebrate Zoology":

• aardvark [Du.,=ground pig], nocturnal mammal of the genus Orycteropus, sole representative of the order Tubulidentata. There are two species, one in central Africa and the other in S Africa. The aardvark, about 6 ft (180 cm) long, has a long snout, large erect ears,...

• aardwolf carnivore of the hyena family. The aardwolf, Proteles cristatus, resembles the true hyena but is smaller and more delicate. It has less powerful teeth and jaws and five instead of four toes on its forepaws. The coat of the aardwolf is yellow-white with dark...

• Abyssinian cat see cat.

• addax large, desert-dwelling antelope. It is a single species, Addax nasomaculatus. The addax is yellowish-white in color, has a brown mane and throat fringe, and may stand as high as 42 in. (106 cm) at the shoulder. Both sexes bear long, spiraling horns reaching up to 43 in. (109...

• adder see viper.

• addra see gazelle.

• African buffalo see cape buffalo.

• agouti name applied to rabbit-sized rodents of the genus Dasyprocta, found in Central and South America and in the West Indies. They have slender limbs with five front and three hind toes, rudimentary tails, and coarse rough hair that varies from reddish to dark...

• albacore see tuna.

• albatross common name for sea birds of the order of tube-nosed swimmers (Procellari-iformes), which includes petrels, shearwaters, and fulmars. The wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans, made famous by Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, has a wingspread of from 10 to 12 ft (305-366 cm), although the wings are only about 9 in. (22.5 cm) wide. Because of their tapering wing design they excel at gliding and flying. Albatrosses eat...

• alewife see herring.

• alligator large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. They have broader, blunter snouts, which give...

• Allosaurus late Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur of the W United States. Specimens of 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m) have been found. It had stong hind legs, smaller sharply clawed forelimbs, two small horns directly above the eyes, and expandable jaws...

• alpaca partially domesticated South American mammal, Lama pacos, of the camel family. Genetic studies show that it is a descendant of the vicuña. Although the flesh is sometimes used for food, the animal is bred chiefly for its long, lustrous wool, which varies from black, through shades of brown, to white. Flocks of alpaca are kept by...

• amberfish see pompano.

• amberjack see pompano.

• amphibian in zoology, cold-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia. There are three living orders of amphibians: the frogs and toads (order Anura, or Salientia), the salamanders and newts (order Urodela, or Caudata), and the caecilians , or limbless amphibians (order Apoda, or Gymnophiona), a little known tropical group. Amphibians, the most primitive of the terrestrial vertebrates, are intermediate in evolutionary position...

• amphioxus see lancelet.

• anaconda see boa.

• anchovy see herring.

• angelfish see butterfly fish.

• angler common name for a member of the family Ceratiidae, European and American bottom-dwelling predacious fishes. The angler lies on the bottom and lures its prey with a long, wormlike appendage that...

• angora cat see cat.

• angwantibo see loris.

• ani bird: see cuckoo.

• Ankylosaurus [Gr.,=crooked lizard], genus of heavily armored, herbivorous quadripedal dinosaurs, the best known of which is the species A. magniventris, the largest and heaviest of the ankylosaurs. Sturdy and built low to the ground, the largest ankylosaurs are estimated to have been 33 ft (10 m) from head to tail. Ankylosaurus was covered by...

• anoa see buffalo.

• anole see chameleon.

• ant bear see aardvark.

• anteater name applied to various animals that feed on ants, termites, and other insects, but more properly restricted to a completely toothless group of the order Edentata. There are four species classified...

• antelope name applied to a large number of hoofed, ruminant mammals of the cattle family (Bovidae), which also includes the sheep and goats. The North American pronghorn is sometimes called an antelope, but belongs to a separate, related family (Antilocapridae). True antelopes are found only in Africa and Asia. They range in size from pygmy antelopes, 12 in. (30...

• Apatosaurus [Gr.,=deceptive lizard], quadruped saurischian dinosaur , estimated to be from 70 to 90 ft (21 to 27 m) in length and to weigh up to 30 tons (27 metric tons). Apatosaurus was called Brontosaurus...

• ape any primate of the subfamily Hominoidea, with the possible exception of humans. The small apes, the gibbon and the siamang, and the orangutan , one of the great apes, are found in SE Asia. The other...

• apteryx see kiwi.

• arapaima tropical fish, Arapaima gigas, of the Amazon basin. It is perhaps the largest of the strictly freshwater fishes, reportedly reaching a length of 15 ft (4.5 m), but averaging 7 to 8 ft (2-2.4 m) in length and 200 lb (90 kg) in...

• archerfish laterally compressed fish, genus Toxotes, which catches insects by spitting at and disabling them. The archerfish has a groove in the roof of its mouth that forms a long narrow tube when the tongue is placed against it; the fish propels...

• armadillo New World armored mammal of the order Edentata, a group that also includes the sloth and the anteater , characterized by peglike teeth without roots or enamel. Armadillos are found from Argentina to Panama, with one species reaching the southern United States. The head and body of an armadillo are...

• ascidian see Chordata ; tunicate.

• asp popular name for several species of viper , one of which, the European asp ( Vipera aspis ), is native to S Europe. It is also a name for the Egyptian cobra ( Naja haja ). It is believed that the...

• ass hoofed, herbivorous mammal of the genus Equus, closely related to the horse. It is distinguished from the horse by its small size, large head, long ears, and small hooves. There are two living species: Equus hemonius, the Asian ass, and E. asinus, the African ass. The latter species includes the domesticated variety, E. asinus asinus, commonly known as the donkey. A male ass is called a jackass and a female, a jenny. Wild asses are swift desert animals that may attain speeds of up to 40 mi (60 km) per hr. They live in herds of...

• auk common name for a member of the family Alcidae (alcid family), swimming and diving birds of the N Atlantic and Pacific, which includes the guillemots and puffins. Their legs are set far back on...

• Australian bear see koala.

• avocet common name for a long-legged wading bird about 15 to 18 in. (37.5-45 cm) long, related to the snipe and belonging to the same family as the stilt. The American avocet or blacknecked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, and the Australian avocet have black and white bodies and brown heads; the African and Eurasian species are black and white and are strikingly visible at distances. Avocets, like stilts, are...

• axolotl a salamander , Siredon mexicanum, found in certain lakes in the region of Mexico City, which reaches reproductive maturity without losing its larval characteristics. This phenomenon is called neoteny; in salamanders it is...

• aye-aye name for an aberrant primate, Daubentonia madagascariensis, related to the lemurs but distinguished by its specialized teeth and fingers. A large nocturnal and arboreal primate, it is found in dense bamboo forests in two isolated regions of Madagascar. The aye-aye is about the...

• babbler common name for some members of the large, diversified family Timaliidae, passerine birds found primarily in wooded areas of Asia, Africa, and Australia. Babblers have soft, fluffy plumage and vary...

• baboon any of the large, powerful, ground-living monkeys of the genus Papio, also called dog-faced monkeys. Five subspecies live in Africa, with one species extending into the Arabian peninsula. They have close-set eyes under heavy brow ridges, long, heavy muzzles, powerful...

• badger name for several related members of the weasel family. Most badgers are large, nocturnal, burrowing animals, with broad, heavy bodies, long snouts, large, sharp claws, and long, grizzled fur. The Old World badger, Meles meles, is found in Europe and in Asia N of the Himalayas; it is about 3 ft (90 cm) long, with a 4-in. (10-cm) tail, and weighs about 30 lb (13.6 kg). Its unusual coloring, light above and dark below, is...

• Baltimore oriole see oriole.

• baluchitherium extinct primitive rhinoceros, belonging to the genus Baluchitherium, of the Oligocene epoch, fossilized bones of which were found in central Asia. It had an estimated shoulder height of nearly 18 ft (5.5 m) and a weight of about 10 tons, and is believed to have been...

• banana fish see bonefish.

• bandicoot small marsupial mammal native to Australia and nearby islands. There are 19 species in eight genera. Bandicoots have long, pointed, shrewlike faces; gray or brown fur; and long, bushy, ratlike...

• bandicoot rat giant rat of southern Asia, unrelated to true bandicoots. It is an agricultural pest in the grain crops and gardens of India and Sri Lanka and is known for the piglike grunts it emits when...

• Barbary ape see macaque.

• barbel see carp.

• barracuda slender, elongated fish of tropical seas. Barracudas have long snouts and projecting lower jaws armed with large, sharp-edged teeth. They are ferocious, striking at anything that gleams, and are...

• basilisk see iguana.

• basking shark large, plankton-feeding shark, Cetorhinus maximus, inhabiting many oceans of the world, especially in temperate regions. Found singly or in schools of up to 100, it spends much of its time on or just below the surface, cruising slowly with its...

• bass common name applied to various fishes of the families Serranidae (sea basses) and Centrarchidae (black basses and sunfishes). The sea basses are a large, diverse, and important family of perchlike...

• bat winged mammal of the order Chiroptera, which includes 900-1,000 species classified in about 200 genera and 17 families. Bats range in size from a wingspread of over 5 ft (150 cm) to a wingspread of...

• batfish see angler.

• beaded lizard see gila monster.

• bear large mammal of the family Ursidae in the order Carnivora, found almost exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere. Bears have large heads, bulky bodies, massive hindquarters, short, powerful limbs,...

• beaver either of two large aquatic rodents , Castor fiber and Castor canadensis, known for their engineering feats. They were once widespread in N and central Eurasia except E Siberia, and in North America...

• bee-eater any of the brightly colored, insect-eating birds of the family Meropidae. They range in length from 6 to 14 in. (15-36 cm). The plumage of many species is predominantly green but usually includes a...

• beira see antelope.

• beisa see oryx.

• bellbird see cotinga.

• beluga or white whale, small, toothed northern whale , Delphinapterus leucas. The beluga may reach a length of 19 ft (5.8 m) and a weight of 4,400 lb (2,000 kg). It has a small, round head, with a short, broad, beaklike snout, and a flexible neck; its flippers are short,...

• Bermuda chub see rudderfish.

• betta or fighting fish, small, freshwater fish of the genus Betta, found in Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Best known is the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. Mature males of this species are about 2 in. (5 cm) long. In its native waters B. splendens is drab with small fins, but several centuries of breeding have produced multicolored varieties with extremely enlarged decorative fins, highly prized as aquarium fishes. Males of this species are...

• bichir common name for African freshwater fishes as of the family Polypteridae, and particularly for those of the genus Polypterus. Bichirs are among the most primitive of the ray-finned fishes, or Actinopterygii, the dominant group of modern fishes. The long, narrow body of Polypterus is 2 to 3 ft (60-90 cm) long and is covered by thick, rhombic scales made of an enamellike substance called ganoine. Such scales were also present in the earliest ray-finned fishes, now extinct,...

• bighorn or Rocky Mountain sheep, wild sheep of W North America, formerly plentiful in mountains from Canada to Mexico. Indiscriminate hunting, disease, and scarcity of food have reduced its numbers, and in some areas it has been...

• bird warm-blooded, egg-laying, vertebrate animal having its body covered with feathers and its forelimbs modified into wings , which are used by most birds for flight. Birds compose the class Aves (see...

• bird of paradise common name for any of 43 species of medium- to crow-sized passerine birds of New Guinea and the adjacent islands, known for the bright plumage, elongated tail feathers called wires, and brilliant...

• birdsong Song, call notes, and certain mechanical sounds constitute the language of birds. Song is produced in the syrinx, whose firm walls are derived from the rings of the trachea, and is modified by the...

• bison large hoofed mammal, genus Bison, of the cattle family. Bison have short horns and humped, heavily mantled shoulders that slope downward to the hindquarters. The European bison, or wisent , Bison bonasus, has a less luxuriant mane and beard than the American species, B. bison. The American bison is commonly called buffalo , although true buffalo are African and Asian animals of the same family. B. bison is characterized by a huge, low-slung head and massive hump; its legs are shorter than those of the wisent. Males may reach a shoulder height of over 5 ft (1.5 m), a body length of 9 ft (2.7 m),...

• bittern common name for migratory marsh birds of the family Ardeidae ( heron family). The American bittern ( Botaurus lentiginosus ), often called "stake driver" because of a territorial male's booming call in the spring, is widely distributed in E North America. It is mostly nocturnal and feeds on frogs, fish, and insects. When pursued, the bittern escapes...

• black snake name for several snakes, not all closely related, that are black in color. In the United States the name is applied chiefly to the black racer and to the black rat snake ( Elaphe obsoleta ), both partly arboreal in their habits. The black rat snake, also called pilot black snake and mountain black snake, is found in the NE United States. Like other rat snakes ( Elaphe species), it is a constrictor and a valuable destroyer of rats and mice. It has shiny, slightly keeled scales and reaches a length of 8 ft (2.4 m). The poisonous Australian black snake belongs to...

• black whale name for the black right whale and for the sperm whale.

• blackbird common name in North America of a perching bird allied to the bobolink, the meadow lark, the oriole, and the grackle and belonging to the family Icteridae. The European blackbird, Turdus merula, is a thrush. The blackbird is possibly the most numerous N America land bird. The red-winged blackbird of E North America is a familiar sight, its scarlet shoulder patches conspicuous among the...

• blackbuck small antelope, Antilope cervicapra, found in semidesert plains and open forest throughout India. Males are dark brown above and white below, with white rings around the eyes; they stand about 32 in. (81 cm) at the shoulder and weigh...

• blenny common name of various species of extremely numerous small fishes belonging to the families Blenniidae (combtooth blennies) and Nototheniidae (Antarctic blennies). They are characterized by...

• blesbok see damalisk.

• blindfish see cave fish.

• blue crab common name for a crustacean , Callinectes sapidus, found on the S Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. The blue crab is a member of the family of swimming crabs known as the Portunidae and is characterized by a broad, semitriangular carapace...

• blue jay common name for a familiar bird ( Cyanocitta cristata ) of central and E North America, allied to the crow, the raven, and the magpie, belonging to the family Corvidae. Almost a foot (30 cm) long, it is handsome and conspicuous. Its upper parts,...

• blue whale a baleen whale , Balaenoptera musculus. Also called the sulphur-bottom whale and Sibbald's rorqual, it is the largest animal that has ever lived. Blue whales have been known to reach a length of 100 ft (30.5 m) and to weigh as much as...

• bluebird common name for a North American migratory bird of the family Turdidae (thrush family). The eastern bluebird, Sialia sialis, is among the first spring arrivals in the North. It is about 7 in. (17.8 cm) long. The plumage of the male appears vivid blue in bright light and black at a distance; the breast is cinnamon-red,...

• bluefish voracious marine fish of the family Pomatomidae, resembling the pompano but more closely related to the sea basses. Bluefish are found in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea,...

• bluegill see sunfish.

• boa name for live-bearing constrictor snakes of the family Boidae, found mostly in the Americas. This family, which also comprises the egg-laying pythons of the Old World, includes the largest of all snakes, as well as many smaller ones. Members of the boa family have two functional lungs instead of one, as is found in other snakes, and vestiges of...

• boar see swine.

• boat-billed heron or boatbill, a tropical New World heron , Chochlearius chochlearius. With shorter legs and a squatter appearance than most herons, this bird is remarkable chiefly for its broad bill, which is shaped like an overturned boat. Its coloring is dull brown, gray, and...

• bobac see marmot.

• bobcat see lynx.

• bobolink common name in the N United States and Canada for an American songbird, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, related to the blackbird and the oriole, belonging to the family Icteridae. In spring the plumage of the male is black except for the white shoulders and lower back and the buff nape. After the...

• bobwhite common name for an American henlike bird of the family Phasianidae, which also includes the pheasant and the partridge. The eastern bobwhite quail ( Colinus virginianus ) is about 10 in. (25 cm) long. Its plumage is mixed brown, black, and white in the male and brown and buff in the female, making it almost invisible against the vegetation of weedy fields and edges...

• bonefish common name for a fish belonging to either of two species of the family Albulidae. Albula vulpes is widespread in warm, shallow marine waters, and Dixonina nemoptera is found only in the West Indies. The bonefish is silvery in color, with a long, deeply forked tail and a single dorsal fin; it has a pointed head covered by a thick, transparent cartilage and a...

• bongo spiral-horned antelope , Boocercus eurycerus, found in jungles and thick bamboo forests of equatorial Africa. Shy, elusive animals, bongos never emerge into the open and are seldom seen; they browse singly or in small groups. They are fairly...

• bonito see mackerel.

• bonnet shark see hammerhead shark.

• bonobo smaller of two species of chimpanzee , genus Pan. Whereas the common chimpanzee, P. troglodytes, lives in forests across most of equatorial Africa, the bonobo, P. paniscus (sometimes called the pygmy chimpanzee), is found only in the Congo (Kinshasa) S of the Congo River. The bonobo has a more slender body build than the common chimpanzee, but there is considerable...

• bontebok see damalisk.

• bontequagga see zebra.

• booby common name for some members of the family Sulidae, large, streamlined sea birds. Tropical and subtropical members of the family are called boobies; those of northern waters are called gannets...

• bourbot see cod.

• bowerbird common name for any of several species of birds of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, native to Australia and New Guinea, which build, for courtship display, a bower of sticks or grasses. Usually the...

• bowfin primitive freshwater fish found in the Mississippi basin, the Great Lakes, and E to Vermont. The bowfin has a light covering of rounded, overlapping scales, a large mouth, and sharp teeth. Its swim...

• bowhead whale see right whale.

• box turtle hard-shelled land turtle of the genus Terrapene, native to North America. Its lower shell, or plastron, has a hinge dividing it into front and rear sections; the animal can raise these sections to meet the upper shell, or carapace , forming a secure box around its body. It is primarily a vegetarian, although it also eats insects, earthworms, and slugs. The box turtle hibernates during cold winters and mates in the spring. In...

• boxfish see trunkfish.

• brant or brant goose, common name for a species of wild sea goose. The American brant, Branta bernicla, breeds in the Arctic and winters along the Atlantic coast. The head, neck, and tail are black, the back brownish gray, and the under parts grayish white. Eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) is their staple food. The Old World barnacle goose, B. leucopsis, so named because it was thought to grow out of barnacles attached to driftwood, is very similar to the brant and is an occasional visitor to North America. The black brant migrates from its arctic...

• bream see sunfish.

• bronco see mustang.

• Brontosaurus see Apatosaurus.

• brown thrush see mimic thrush.

• Brunnich's murre see murre.

• brush turkey see megapode.

• brush wolf see coyote.

• budgerigar see parakeet.

• buffalo name commonly applied to the American bison but correctly restricted to certain related African and Asian mammals of the cattle family. The water buffalo, or Indian buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, is found in S Asia. It is a large, extremely strong, dark gray animal, standing nearly 6 ft (180 cm) at the shoulder and weighing up to 2,000 lb (900 kg). Its widely spread horns curve out and back...

• buffalo fish see sucker.

• bulbul antelope: see hartebeest.

• bulbul bird, common name for members of the family Pycnonotidae, comprising 119 species of medium-sized, dull-colored passerine birds with short necks and wings, native to Africa and S Asia. Bulbuls are...

• bull bat see goatsucker.

• bullfinch see finch.

• bullfrog common name of the largest North American frog, Rana catesbeiana. Native to the E United States, this species has been successfully introduced in the West and in other parts of the world. The body length is 4 to 8 in. (10-20 cm), and the legs may be up to 10 in...

• bullhead common name for several species of fish. See catfish ; sculpin.

• bunting common name for small, plump birds of the family Fringillidae ( finch family). Among the American buntings are the indigo bunting, in which the summer plumage of the male reflects sunlight as a rich, metallic blue; the painted bunting, or nonpareil ( Passerina ciris ), with showy red, blue, and green plumage; the hardy snow bunting ( Plectrophenax nivalis ), whose winter plumage is white marked with light brown on the head and sides; and the lazuli bunting of the West, turquoise above with a chestnut breast and white wing bars. European buntings...

• burbot see cod.

• Burmese cat see cat.

• burro see ass.

• bush baby name for several small, active nocturnal primates of the loris family, found in forested parts of Africa. Bush babies, also called galagos, form the subfamily Galaginae. The smallest are about 1 ft (30 cm) long, including the long, furry tail. All have fluffy...

• bushbuck small, delicate, spiral-horned antelope , Tragelaphus scriptus, of tropical Africa. Bushbucks live in pairs in thick forest, browsing on leaves and shrubs by night and resting during the day. Their chief predator is the leopard. Adult males stand less than 3 ft...

• bushmaster large venomous snake, Lachesis muta, of Central America and N South America. It is a member of the pit viper family, which also includes the rattlesnake. The largest New World snake, it reaches a length of 8 to 12 ft (2.5-5.5 m). It is gray and brown, with a diamond pattern. Unlike most pit vipers, which...

• bustard a heavy-bodied, ground-running bird of the family Otidedae. Various species are found throughout the arid regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and S Europe. Bustards range in length from 14 1/2 to 52 in. (37-132 cm) and include the heaviest birds capable of flight. The great bustard, Otis tarda, of Europe and central Asia, is the largest European land-bird; the adult male may be 4 ft (10.2 m) long with an 8-ft (20.3-m) wingspread and may weigh 30 lb (13.6 kg). The Australian bustard, Chorictis australis, is of similar size. Bustards are stocky birds with long necks and strong legs; their feet are built for running, with flat toes, broad soles, and no hind toe. The species vary in color from gray to...

• bustard quail or button quail, any of the small ground-running Old World birds of the family Turnicidae. Also called a hemipode, it resembles a true quail in appearance and way of life but is more closely related to sandgrouse...

• butcher bird see shrike.

• butterfish see harvest fish.

• butterfly fish common name for certain members of the Chaetodontidae, a family of reef-dwelling tropical fishes that also includes the angelfishes and is closely allied to the spadefishes and the tangs. All have...

• button quail see bustard quail.

• buzzard common name for hawks of the genus Buteo and the genus Pernis, or honey buzzard, of the Old World family Accipitridae. Honey buzzards feed on insects, wasp and bumblebee larvae, and small reptiles. The name buzzard is also incorrectly applied to various hawks...

• cachalot see sperm whale.

• cacomistle small New World mammal, genus Bassaricus, related to the raccoon. There are two species, one found in Mexico and the SW United States, the other in Central America. The North American cacomistle, B. astutus, also known as ringtail, ring-tailed cat, and coon cat, ranges north to N Colorado and S Oregon and west to E Texas. Its body is slender and squirrellike, its face pointed and foxlike. The head and...

• caecilian any of the legless, tailless tropical amphibians of the family Caecilidae. Most adult caecilians resemble earthworms superficially but have vertebrate characteristics such as jaws and teeth. They...

• caiman see alligator.

• calico cat see cat.

• camel ruminant mammal of the family Camelidae. The family consists of three genera, the true camels of Asia (genus Camelus ); the wild guanaco and the domesticated alpaca and llama , all of South America...

• cameo cat see cat.

• Canada jay see jay.

• canary common name for a familiar cage bird of the family Ploceidae (Old World finch family), descended from either the wild serin finch or from the very similar wild canary, Serinus canarius, of the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores and introduced into Europe in the late 15th or early 16th cent. The wild birds are usually gray or green; selective breeding has produced both plain...

• candlefish see smelt.

• canvasback see duck.

• cape buffalo species of short-haired African ungulate, or hoofed mammal, Syncerus caffer. The cape, or African, buffalo may reach 7 ft (2.1 m) in length, weigh more than 1,500 lb (670 kg), and reach a height of 5 ft (1.5 m) at the shoulder. Coat color and horn shape seem to vary with...

• capuchin name for New World monkeys of the genus Cebus, widely distributed in tropical forests of Central and South America. Medium-sized monkeys, they have a body length of 14 to 24 in. (36-61 cm), with a tail up to 20 in. (50 cm) long, and weigh 2 to...

• capybara mammal of Central and much of South America. It is the largest living member of the order Rodentia (the rodents) reaching a length of 4 ft (120 cm) and a weight of 75 to 100 lb (34-45 kg). Its...

• caracal or Persian lynx, mammal of the family Felidae (cat family), native to Asia and Africa. It is reddish brown with black-tufted ears. Its total length is about 3 1/4 ft (105 cm). It preys on small deer, hares, birds, and other animals. Active mainly at twilight, it will hunt during the night in hot weather. In some regions it is trained to catch such game for...

• caracara see falcon.

• cardinal or redbird, common name for a North American songbird of the family Fringillidae (New World finch family). In the eastern cardinal, Richmondena cardinalis, the male is bright scarlet with black throat and face; the female is brown with patches of red. Both sexes have crests and red bills. The Arizona, gray-tailed, Louisiana, and San Lucas cardinals...

• caribou name in North America for the genus ( Rangifer ) of deer from which the Old World reindeer was originally domesticated. Caribou are found in arctic and subarctic regions. They are the only deer in which both sexes have antlers. The broad hooves support the animal (males may weigh over...

• Carolina parakeet small, long-tailed bird, Canuropsis carolinensis, now believed extinct. The Carolina parakeet was the northernmost representative of the parrot family. It had green plumage with a yellow head and orange cheek patches and forehead. The largest...

• carp hardy freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio, the largest member of the minnow family. A native of Asia, the carp was introduced into Europe and America and has become so well established that it is called the English sparrow of the fishes. Many variations in color and form...

• carpincho see capybara.

• cassowary common name for a flightless, swift-running, pugnacious forest bird of Australia and the Malay Archipelago, smaller than the ostrich and emu. The plumage is dark and glossy and the head and neck unfeathered, wattled, and brilliantly colored, with variations in the coloring in different species. The head bears a horny crest. The female...

• castor see beaver.

• castoreum see beaver.

• cat name applied broadly to the carnivorous mammals constituting the family Felidae, and specifically to the domestic cat, Felis catus. The great roaring cats, the lion , tiger , and leopard are anatomically very similar to one another and constitute the genus Panthera, which also includes the jaguar and, in some systems, the snow leopard. The clouded leopard, Neofelis, and the cheetah , Acinonyx, are big cats that, like the jaguar and snow leopard, do not roar. The medium-sized and small cats are classified by different zoologists in varying numbers of genera, but in the system most widely...

• cat bear see panda.

• catamount see puma.

• catbird see mimic thrush.

• catfish common name applied to members of the freshwater fish families constituting the suborder Nematognathi. The catfish is related to the sucker and the minnow , and like them has a complex set of bones forming a sensitive hearing apparatus. Catfish are named for the barbels ( "whiskers" ) around their mouths and have scaleless skins, fleshy, rayless posterior fins, and sharp defensive spines in the shoulder and dorsal fins. They are able to use the swim bladder to produce sounds. Some species, such as the stone and tadpole catfishes and the madtom, can inflict stings by means of poison glands in the pectoral spines. Catfish are usually dull-colored,...

• cavalla see pompano.

• cave fish common name for blind, cave-dwelling fishes of the family Amblyopsidae. The Amblyopsidae are whitish fish, up to 5 in. (13 cm) long. With the exception of a single species, all members of the...

• cavy name for 14 species of South American rodents of the family Caviidae, including the domestic guinea pig. The wild cavies are usually small, rounded, and tailless, with fur of a uniform shade of brown. Nocturnal animals, they occupy a variety of habitats, especially dense vegetation. An unusual, large...

• cedar waxwing see waxwing.

• ceratotherium see rhinoceros.

• chaffinch see finch.

• chain snake see king snake.

• chameleon small- to medium-sized lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae. About eighty species are found in sub-Saharan Africa, with a few in S Asia. The so-called common chameleon, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, is found around the Mediterranean. Chameleons have laterally flattened bodies and bulging, independently rotating eyes. They are variously ornamented with crests, horns, and spines. The toes are...

• chamois hollow-horned, hoofed mammal, Rupicapra rupicapra, found in the mountains of Europe and the E Mediterranean. It is about the size of a large goat and is light brown with a black tail, a black back stripe, and black markings on its face. In winter...

• char see salmon.

• characin common name for members of the Characidae, a large and diverse family comprising 700 species of freshwater fishes. The characins are related to the carp and the catfish. They are found in Africa...

• chat name applied to several Old World perching birds, such as the wheatear (see thrush ), the whinchat, and the stonechat, and to a common American warbler.

• cheetah carnivore of the cat family, Acinonyx jubatus, native to Africa S of the Sahara and SW Asia as far east as India. Formerly numerous all over their range, they are extinct now in Asia except for small numbers in Iran's Dasht-e Kavir, and are...

• chevrotain name for four species of small, ruminant mammals of Africa and SE Asia. Although they are also called mouse deer, chevrotains are not closely related to true deer, and are classified in a family...

• chickadee small North American bird of the titmouse family. The black-capped chickadee ( Parus atricapillus ), lively and gregarious, is a permanent resident over most of its range in the East. Both sexes have black caps, gray backs and wings, and fluffy white to buff underparts. They often swing upside...

• chickaree see squirrel.

• chimaera cartilaginous marine fish, related to the sharks. Also called ratfishes, chimaeras are found in temperate oceans throughout the world, mostly in deep water. They have large heads, long, thin,...

• chimney swallow see swift.

• chimpanzee an ape , genus Pan, of the equatorial forests of central and W Africa. The common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, lives N of the Congo River. Full-grown animals of this species are up to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and weigh about 150 lb (68 kg); they have an arm spread of up to 9 ft (2.7 m) and are much stronger than...

• chinchilla small burrowing rodent of South America. It lives in colonies at high altitudes (up to 15,000 ft/4,270 m) in the Andes of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. One of the costliest of all furs, its soft gray...

• chipmunk rodent of the family Sciuridae ( squirrel family). The chipmunk of