arthropod=A wide variety of animals with external skeletons and jointed bodies and limbs: e.g. crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, insects and spiders.
amphibian=Able to live on land and in water.
Carnivorous=Feeding on animals (usually vertebrates).
Thylacine=Tasmanian Tiger
subspecies=One or two or more populations of a species that are recognisably different from each other and usually differ in distribution. Subspecies frequently hybridise where their distributions meet or overlap.
invertebrates=Any animal that is not a vertebrate: worms, molluscs, arthropods, etc.
amphibians=Able to live on land and water.
Habitat:=The area that provides the physical and biological requirements of a species.
Distribution:=Distribution scores are based on distribution maps and, since such maps always include areas where the species does not occur, these figures are always overestimates. The smaller the area occupied by a species, the greater the significance of that area. The scale therefore expands exponentially, beginning with small increases and ending with large ones.
figures are always overestimates. The principle underlying the scoring system for distribution is that the smaller the area occupied by a species, the greater the significance of that area. The scale therefore expands exponentially, beginning with small increases and ending with very large ones.
Abundance:=The abundance scoring system depends on the opinions of experienced observers who are familiar with the species and judgement that a species is abundant does not necessarily mean it appears to be so to the untrained person. In the abundance definitions, "locatable" means seen, heard, or judged to be present. "Appropriate times" may mean the time of day when the species is active or the time of year when its presence becomes obvious.
parks and wildlife services, the CSIRO, and universities. Such people are familiar with a range of species and are frequently in the bush. Amateur \Pornithologists\p and \Pherpetologists\p are also valuable sources of information. The scoring system depends on the opinions of experienced observers who are familiar with the species in question and judgment that a species is abundant does not necessarily mean that it will appear to be so to an untrained person. In the definitions included here, "locatable" means seen, heard, or judged to be present by nests, burrows, scrapings, dung, food scraps etc. "Appropriate times" may mean the time of day when the species is active or the time of year when its presence becomes obvious.
sparse=Known to be present and frequently located at appropriate times in some appropriate habitats, but usually after some effort; if trappable, frequently absent from trap-lines set at such times and places.
Status:=Because conservation agencies have been mainly concerned with species at risk, evaluation of survival status has usually been restricted to these categories. The novelty in the approach taken here is recognition of two categories - "secure" and "possibly secure" -
representing antitheses to "possibly extinct" and "presumed extinct". Before allotting a species to one of these categories, we have considered its past and present distribution and abundance, and those environmental and human factors that are currently acting to its
detriment or benefit. Prognoses of survival status are scored in the following categories: presumed extinct, possibly extinct, endangered, possibly endangered, vulnerable, probably secure, secure.
probably secure=Probably the same as secure (no existing or foreseeable threat to the continuance of the species) but insufficient data to be certain.
hibernates=A prolonged condition of deep sleep and diminished temperature control during winter.
common=Usually locatable at appropriate times in most appropriate habitats; if trappable, usually represented to some extent in most trap-lines set at such times and places.
secure=No existing or foreseeable threat to continuance of the species.
arthropods=A wide variety of animals with external skeletons and jointed bodies and limbs: e.g. crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, insects and spiders.
vulnerable=Currently of satisfactory distribution and/or abundance but foreseeable pressures could put the species at risk.
arboreal=Living in trees.
prehensile=Able to grip. Refers to a limb or tail.
terrestrial=Pertaining to the land. Living on, or mainly on, the ground. Contrast with \Barboreal, amphibious, fossorial\b.
arborea=Living in trees.
torpid=or Torpor. A state of dormancy and diminished temperature regulation over a period of hours or days, in response to cold or food shortage. See also \Bhibernation\b.
Probably extinct=So infrequently located that the existence of the species in the wild has not been confirmed for up to 50 years.
abundant=Locatable at all appropriate times in all appropriate habitats; if trappable, well represented in any trap-line set at such times and places.
rare=Known to be present within the distribution area but seldom located or trapped, despite considerable effort. May not be located over periods of several years.
endangered=Declining in distribution and/or abundance to such an extent that, with positive action to halt or reverse the trend, the species appears likely to become extinct in the near future.
insectivore=Feeding on insects and/or other terrestrial arthropods.
very sparse=As for "sparse" but infrequently located, usually after considerable effort; apparently absent from many appropriate areas.
sclerophyll=A general term for eucalypt forest or woodland. Wet sclerophyll forest is tall and has a dense canopy. Dry sclerophyll forest varies considerably in height and usually has a discontinuous canopy.
vertebrates=An animal with a backbone, as opposed to an invertebrate, which has no backbone.
possibly endangered=Declining in distribution and/or abundance but population still large and viable.
spinifex hummocks=Areas where grasses of the genus \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i (both often erroneously called "spinifex") are dominant. Soil builds up around each clump of grass, forming a hummock, the ground between the hummocks usually being bare.
spinifex hummock=Areas where grasses of the genus \ITriodia\i and \IPlectrachne\i (both often erroneously called "spinifex") are dominant. Soil builds up around each clump of grass, forming a hummock, the ground between the hummocks usually being bare.
very rare=So infrequently located or trapped, despite considerable efforts, that the possibility of extinction cannot be excluded.
possibly extinct=So infrequently located that the existence of the species in the wild has not been confirmed for up to 50 years.
conspecific=Belonging to the same species.
torpor=A state of dormancy and diminished temperature regulation over a period of hours or days, in response to cold or food shortage.
See also \BHibernation\b.
nil=There has been no firm evidence of this animal's survival.
extinct=No confirmation of the existence of the species in the wild for 50 years or more.
possibly secure=Possibly as secure (no existing or foreseeable threat to the continuance of the species) but insufficient data to be certain.
herbivore=Feeding on plants.
insectiviorous=Feeding on insects and/or other terrestrial arthropods.
diapause=A temporary halt in embryonic or larval development.
becoming uncommon=As for common (usually locatable at appropriate times in most appropriate habitats; if trappable, usually represented to some extent in most trap-lines set at such times and places) but becoming uncommon.
blastocyst=An early stage in the development of a mammal when the embryo is a tiny, undifferentiated ball of cells.
nomadically=Wandering from place to place, usually from one source of food to another. Contrast with \Bsedentary\b and \Bmigratory\b.
migrations=Moving more or less regularly from one area to another, usually in response to seasonal change. Compare with \Bsedentary\b and \Bnomadic\b.
hibernate=A prolonged condition of deep sleep and diminished temperature control during winter. See also \Btorpor/torpid\b.
migrate=Moving more or less regularly from one area to another, usually in response to seasonal change. Compare with \Bsedentary\b and \Bnomadic\b.
herbivorous=Feeding on plants.
gibber=Desert with a surface composed largely of smoothly rounded stones.
sedentary=Remaining in mush the same area throughout the year. Contrast with \Bmigratory\b and \Bnomadic\b.
amphibious=Able to live on land and water.
canopy=The upper foliage, usually dense, of a tree or forest.
hibernation=A prolonged condition of deep sleep and diminished temperature control during winter.
insectivorous=Feeding on insects and/or other \Pterrestrial\p arthropods.
pseudantechinuses=A type of Genus.
monsoon forest=Low rainforest occurring in small patches across northern Australia from Cape York to the Kimberleys. It is lower and less complex than typical tropical rainforest.
hybridised=The offspring of individuals from two distinct populations. As a general rule, hybrids between related subspecies are viable and fertile; hybrids between different species are rare in nature and seldom fertile.
cloaca=An aperture in female vertebrates (except eutherian mammals) through which faeces, urine and eggs pass out of the body. In male vertebrates that have a cloaca, this serves for the exit of faeces and urine, but sperms may be ejected through a penis. This cloacal aperture is often referred to, inaccurately, as the anus.
caecum=A blind branch of the intestine, often large in herbivorous mammals.
cline=A gradual change in the characteristics of a species across its range - usually associated with an environmental gradient: north-south, wet-dry, lowland-mountain, etc. Contrast with \B\Psubspecies\b\p.
convergent evolution=The evolution of similar body form (or other features) in animals of widely different ancestry: e.g. sharks and dolphins, bats and birds.
endemic=Native to a designated area: e.g. the Platypus is endemic to Australia.
exudate=An exuded substance. In this context, usually refers to edible sap and gum produced by plants and the nutritious excreta of certain sap-sucking insects.
forb=Any small, non-woody, ground plant which is not a grass. Plants designated as forbs usually have broad leaves.
friable=Easily crumbled: descriptive of soils.
habitat=The area that provides the physical and biological requirements of a species.
home range=The area habitually traversed by an individual animal. It may be exclusive or overlap with the home ranges of other members of the species.
lateral=Referring to the sides.
lateritic=Pertaining to laterite, a reddish soil derived from the breakdown of rocks rich in iron. Laterite has a hard surface crust.
mallee=Eucalypt trees with multiple stems arising from a single root stock. Also country in which these trees are dominant in the vegetation.
omnivorous=Feeding on animals and plants.
opportunistic=In reference to feeding behaviour, eating whatever is available within a wide range of foods. In reference to reproduction, breeding when environmental conditions are favourable, rather than at a particular time of year.
posterior=Pertaining to the rear end of an animal. Opposite of \Banterior\b.
relic=Refers to the isolated remnant population(s) of a species that was once more widely distributed.
substrate=The surface - soil, rock, leaf-litter, etc - on which an animal lives.
swales=A more or less flat area between dunes.
tussock=Area where Mitchell Grass \I(Astrebla)\i or bluegrass \I(Dicanthium)\i are the dominant plants.
vine thicket=Rainforest with many hanging vines or lianas.
invertebrate=Any animal that is not a vertebrate: worms, molluscs, arthropods, etc.
burramyids=Members of the possum family Burramyidae.
carrion=The bodies of dead animals.
Cohort:=A level of classification above order but below subclass.
corm=The short, swollen underground base of some plants (such as gladiolus).
dasyurid=A member of the family Dasyuridae.
diprotodont=A member of the order Diprotodontia.
diurnal=Active during the day.
eutherian=A member of the subclass Eutheria.
Family:=A level of classification above genus and below order.
family=A level of classification above genus and below order.
Genus:=(plural genera) a level of classification above species but below family, usually comprising several closely related species but often with only one. The scientific name of the species consists of the genus name (with a capital first letter), followed by the specific name, both printed in italics.
name, both in italics. For example, the Red Kangaroo is one of a number of kangaroos and wallabies placed in the genus \IMacropus:\i its specific name is \Irufus\i and the species is known as \IMacropus rufus\i.
genus=(plural genera) a level of classification above species but below family, usually comprising several closely related species but often with only one. The scientific name of the species consists of the genus name (with a capital first letter), followed by the specific name, both in italics. For example, the Red Kangaroo is one of a number of kangaroos and wallabies placed in the genus \IMacropus:\i its specific name is \Irufus\i and the species is known as \IMacropus rufus\i.
genera=Plural of genus.
gregarious=Living and moving about together.
Head and body:=The distance between the tip of the snout and the base of the tail.
herbaceous=Consisting of herbs, which are flowering plants with stems that are neither woody nor persistent.
herbage=Herbaceous vegetation.
Subclass:=A level of classification lower than class and higher than order.
Order:=A level of classification between subclass and family.
Tail:=The distance between the base and tip of the tail.
cohort=A level of classification above order but below subclass.
hydromyine=A member of the rodent tribe Hydromyini.
jerboa=A hopping African rodent with long hindlegs and tail.
macropod=A member of the superfamily Macropodoidea.
marsupial=A mammal of the subclass Marsupialia.
molossid=A member of the bat family Molossidae.
monogamous=Having only one mate, referring to male and female animals that mate for life.
monotreme=A member of the order Monotremata.
montane=Related to mountains or high altitude.
neonate=A new born animal.
nocturnal=Active at night.
order=A level of classification between subclass and family.
parturition=Giving birth.
perameloid=A member of the bandicoot superfamily Perameloidea.
petaurid=A member of the possum family Petauridae.
potoroid=A member of the rat-kangaroo family Potoroidae.
pteropodid=A member of the bat family Pteropodidae.
species=An assemblage of similar animals which are capable of interbreeding, but which is reproductively isolated from other species.
Subfamily:=A level of classification lower than family but higher than genus.
subterranean=Underground
Tarsier=A primitive relative of monkeys, characterised by enormous eyes and long fingers and toes.
tetrapods=Four-legged animals (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).
Theria=A group comprising the Marsupialia and Eutheria.
tuber=A swollen underground stem (such as a potato).
vespertilionid=A member of the bat family Vespertilionidae.
volplaning=Gliding (on a membrane between the legs and the body), distinct from flying.
striated=Cross-stripped.
quadrupedal=Walking or running on four limbs.
sedges=Rush-like or grass-like plants growing in wet places.
Superfamily:=A level of classification between order and family.
Suborder:=A level of classification between order and family.
Climate:=The prevailing weather conditions of a place as determined by the meteorological changes and average temperature.
Infraorder:=A level of classification above family and below order.
territorial=Stays in one area.
pinna=That part of the ear that projects outward from the head. Usually referred to simply as the 'ear'.
latin name=\Igenus species\i name used to define and classify an animal
