Long, segmented feelers on the heads of insects and certain other arthropods (animals having jointed external skeletons), such as centipedes and lobsters. Insects have one pair of antennae; crustaceans (aquatic arthropods) have two pairs. Most Ec[000000]f[16]LFantennae function primarily as organs of touch, but some are sensitive to odors and other stimuli.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLaxis
B
An imaginary line through the poles and center of a celestial body around which that body rotates.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLbees
B
In the same insect family as ants and wasps, bees commonly are social insects, characterized by their enlarged hind feet equipped with pollen baskets of stiff hairs. They usually have a dense coat of feathery hairs on the head and thorax. In many of the 20,000 species, the lip forms Ec[000000]f[16]LFa long tube for sucking nectar. Bees feed on pollen and nectar; the nectar is converted to honey in the bee's digestive tract. Honeybees build nests, or combs, of wax, which is secreted by glands in the abdomen. They store honey for future use in the hexagonal cells of the comb. A developing bee goes through the larva and pupa stages in the cell and emerges as an Ec[000000]f[16]LFadult. Bees are of inestimable value as agents of cross-pollination, and many plants are entirely dependent on particular kinds of bees for their reproduction. Bee venom has been found to have medicinal properties.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLboarderB
Someone or something that is given shelter or lodging and regular meals, with or without some kind of payment.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBbullfrog
B
The largest North American frogs, bullfrogs may have legs up to ten inches long, with fully webbed toes. Males have a loud, booming call. The bullfrog is the only frog whose legs are marketed in quantity for food in the United States.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLbutterfly
B
Like moths, butterflies have coiled, sucking mouthparts and two pair of wings that function as a single pair; the wings are covered with scales that come off as dust when the insect is handled. Butterflies can be distinguished from moths in several ways: the antennae of Ec[000000]f[16]LFbutterflies are knobbed at the tips; the body is more slender and smoother; butterflies are active by day, while most moths are nocturnal; and when at rest most butterflies hold their wings vertically, while moths flatten theirs. Butterflies are known for the beautiful colors and patterns of their wings. Many conspicuously colored species are distasteful to birds, Ec[000000]f[16]LFwhich learn to avoid them, and others are protected by their resemblance (mimicry) to the distasteful species. Most adult moths and butterflies feed on nectar sucked from flowers, and many plants depend on them for pollination. The butterfly's complete metamorphosis has four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLcamera
B
A device used to collect and focus light onto photographic film or videotape in order to record an image.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLcaterpillar
B
The common name for the larvae of moths or butterflies, the wormlike, vegetarian caterpillars exude silk strands continuously as they move and can hang by the strand when dropping from a height. Many caterpillars use the thread to build a cocoon in which to pupate, that is, reach Ec[000000]f[16]LFthe preliminary stage in their metamorphoses into butterflies or moths. Although caterpillars are equipped with many protective devices, such as irritating bristles and secretions, caterpillars form a major part of the diet of many birds and other animals.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLcentimeters
B
Metric system units of linear measure equivalent to one hundredth of a meter. The inch is equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLchemistryB
The science of substances and their compositions, structures, and properties, as well as their various transformations.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchlorophyllB
The green photosynthetic material that is found in chloroplasts and that is the coloring agent in plants.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLcocoonB
An envelope made of silk, such as that produced by spiders, that is wrapped around a creature for protection or storage. The spider will often paralyze an insect that has flown into her web and then wrap it with her silk threads to save for a later meal.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcolorB
Sunlight is a blend of all the colors of the rainbow, or spectrum. Objects are seen by the light they reflect, appearing certain colors because they absorb some parts of the spectrum--some colors--and reflect others. The human eye's back inside surface--the retina--has three kinds of Ec[000000]f[16]LFcolor receptors, sensitive to red, green, and blue. Human color perception is produced through the stimulation of various combinations of these three kinds of cells. The eyes of insects, such as bees, are different than that of humans, but they, too, can perceive and distinguish different colors.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLconclusionsB
The reasonable judgments or opinions made about the result of an experiment or investigation based on observation and facts.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBconfidentB
Self-assured; certain of oneself.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcrane flyB
Any of a large number of long-legged, slender, two-winged flies that look like large mosquitoes but do not bite.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcrescent
B
A celestial body, such as the moon, that has less than half of its disk illuminated, appearing more or less as a sliver of light. Also, something similarly shaped, such as the crescents on the national flags of Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLdiameterB
Refers to the length of a straight line that might be drawn through the center of an object.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBegg
B
In the general biological sense, the specialized plant or animal female sex cell, or gamete. More commonly, the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird, such as the chicken.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLelaborate
B
Complex and detailed.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLembryoB
An early growth stage of a plant or animal, where differentiation occurs, as well as tissue and/or organ development.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBenergy
B
In the biological sense, energy--that is, food energy--is the source from which living things draw the power they need to perform the processes associated with life. Plants convert the sun's light energy into food energy in the process called photosynthesis. Animals obtain their food Ec[000000]f[16]LFenergy by eating plants, or by eating other animals that eat plants. Ultimately, then, all food energy comes from sunlight.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLFahrenheitB
The temperature measurement scale that sets the boiling point of water at 212 degrees and the freezing point at 32 degrees. Used in North America, the scale was devised by Daniel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), a German physicist for whom it is named. Much of the world now Ec[000000]f[16]LFuses the Celsius, or centigrade, scale, which sets waterÆs boiling point at 100 degrees and its freezing point at zero. To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature and multiply by five-ninths. For instance, 41 degrees Fahrenheit (less 32 equals 9, times five-ninths) equals 5 degrees Celsius.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBfangsB
Long, sharp teeth or prongs with which an animal can seize its prey. Spiders use their fangs to bite their victims and then inject venom that paralyzes or kills.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBfertilize
B
Inseminate or pollinate for the purpose of reproduction.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLfertilizedB
Refers to something that has been inseminated or pollinated in order to reproduce or bear young.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBfertilizes
B
Inseminates or pollinates for the purpose of reproduction.
B Ec[000000]f[16]BLfetusB
An unborn or unhatched vertebrate. An embryo becomes a fetus
