Glossary

This glossary was compiled from https://www.utep.edu/leb/keys/glossary.htm and https://www.uvm.edu/~jdecher/GoT.html.

For more dental terms, see Glossary of mammalian dental topography.

A

abdomen: The ventral part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis.

acetabulum: Socket in pelvic girdle at point where ilium, ischium and pubis meet, and into which the head of the femur articulates.

aestivation: A period of torpor or dormancy in which the metabolism is greatly reduced to save energy, but in response to heat and drought rather than cold.

agonistic: Pertaining to aggressive behaviour often related to fighting, or territorial or parental defense.

albinism: An uncommon condition caused by a genetic lack of the skin pigment called melanin. A full albino has white skin and fur and pink eyes. Partial albinos are called leucistic and may have variable spots or patches of white or can even be all white, but with pigmented eyes.

alisphenoid: A winglike bone forming part of the lateral wall of the braincase. It also forms part of the posterior wall of the orbit. Frequently fused to the basisphenoid.

allantois: An extraembryonic membrane of reptiles, birds, and mammals. Saclike outgrowth of tissue that extends outward from the gut of a developing embryo. In mammalian embryos it is situated between the chorion and amnion and functions in respiration, excretion, and nutrition.

alveolar: Of or pertaining to an alveolus (plural, alveoli), a small cavity or pit, as a socket for a tooth. Alveolar length of a tooth-row therefore denotes the length of the row of the teeth, taken from the posteriormost place where the back tooth emerges from the bone to the anteriormost point where the front tooth in the row emerges from the bone—the overall length of the bony sockets for the row of teeth.

alveolus: A socket in which the root of a tooth is set.

altricial: Pertaining to newborn mammals that require prolonged parental care for survival.

ambient: Surrounding.

angular process: The posterior ventral projection of the dentary below the condyle.

annulation: A circular or ringlike formation, as of the dermal scales on the tail of a mammal where one ring of scales that extends entirely around the tail is succeeded, posteriorly, by other rings.

anterior: To the front (toward the head), foremost, furthest from the tail.

antitragus: A lobe near the base of the outer margin of the pinna.

antler: A deciduous bony head ornament of any member of the family Cervidae.

antorbital pit: A pit or depression just in front of the orbit.

antorbital fossa: An extensive opening just in front of the orbit.

arboreal: Inhabiting or frequenting trees—contrasted with fossorial, aquatic, and cursorial.

astragalus: also known as talus; bone of the hindlimb between tibia, fibula and calcaneum.

auditory bulla (plural, auditory bullae): also known as tympanic bulla; A hollow, bony prominence of rounded form (in most mammals formed by the tympanic bone) partly enclosing structures of the middle and inner ear.

auditory meatus: The external opening into the auditory bulla.

awns: Guardhairs with relatively uniform length with slender bases and expanded tips.

B

baculum: A bone in the penis of certain mammals

basal length: From anterior border of median incisive alveoli to mid-ventral border of the foramen magnum.

basilar length: From posterior border of median incisive alveoli to mid-ventral border of foramen magnum.

basisphenoid: A median ventral bone lying anterior to the occipital and between the auditory bullae.

bead: A salient, rounded cordlike projecting ridge of bone, as in certain rodents where the superior border of the orbit is beaded.

bifurcated: Two-pronged, forked.

bipedal: Pertaining to locomotion on only two legs.

brachiation: A method of locomotion involving movement by swinging from one handhold to another.

brachydont: Low-crowned; any tooth whose width exceeds the height of the crown above the alveolus.

braincase: The part of the skull enclosing the brain.

buccal: On the cheek side of the teeth.

bunodont: Low crownded squarish teeth, capped with enamel, and possessing four major cusps arranged in a rectangle (as in pigs and humans).

C

calcar: A bony or cartilaginous spur arising from the ankle, and in bats, helping to support the uropatagium.

calcaneum: Calcaneus. The heel bone, the largest and posteriormost tarsal bone.

camber: Curvature of the wing in bats or birds that increases drag & lift

cancellous: Having a spongy or porous structure.

canine: also called cuspid; an enlarged tooth between the incisors and premolars; usually a large stabbing tooth, occasionally bladelike, but sometimes small and similar to the teeth preceding it. Absent in rodents.

caniniform: Bearing a resemblance to the shape and appearance of a canine tooth.

cannon bone: Fused metatarsals or metacarpals.

capitulum: Small head or bony prominence on a bone

carnassial pair: Shearing; in the Carnivora the term refers to the last upper premolar (P3) and the first lower Molar (m1).

carnivore: An animal that preys on other animals; an animal that eats the flesh of other animals; especially any mammal of the Order Carnivora.

cartilage: Gristle; a semi-elastic tissue (proteine & mucopolysaccharides), often later becoming ossified.

cartilaginous: Consisting of cartilage.

caudal: Pertaining to the tail.

cementum: The layer of bonelike material covering the root of a tooth.

cervical: Of or pertaining to the neck.

cervix: Tip of the uterus that sometimes projects into the vagina.

cheek pouch

cheek teeth: The premolars and molars together (teeth behind the canines).

chorion: The outermost extraembryonic membrane of reptiles, birds, and mammals. In eutherian mammals the chorion contributes to the formation of the placenta.

cingulum: A prominent girdle around the base of a crown of a tooth just above the alveolus.

clavicle: A ventral bone of the pectoral girdle. Reduced or absent in many mammals. The collarbone in humans.

cline: A gradual and sequential change of characters without significant break such as would justify division into separate species.

cloaca: Chamber into which digestive, reproductive and urinary systems empty, and then exit the body.

coccyx: A small bone terminating the vertebral column in apes and humans, formed by a fusion of four rudimentary vertebrae.

conch: plural, conchs; The external ear, the ear shell.

condylar process: also called condylar process; also called articular process; On a mandible, the process ending in the articular condyle. See "dentary".

condylobasal length: From anterior border of median incisive alveoli to plane of posterior border of occipital condyles.

convergence: The occurrence of similar derived characters arising independently in two only distantly related groups.

columella: Bone that transmits vibrations from the tympanum to the inner ear in reptiles, birds, and anurans; homologous to the hyomandibular of fishes and the stapes in mammals.

coronoid process: The most dorsal part of the mandible, the part of the vertical ramus dorsal and anterior to the condyle.

corpora quadrigemina: Four oval masses that serve as centers of optic and auditory reflexes and form the dorsal part of the mesencephalon in the brain of mammals.

corpus luteum: A mass of yellowish, glandular tissue formed from the Graafian follicle after ovulation.

costal: Of or pertaining to a rib or costa.

cranium: also called braincase; the part of the skull that houses the brain.

crown: The portion of the tooth extending above the gumline.

cursorial: Pertaining to running locomotion.

cusp: A peak or rounded elevation on the crown of a tooth (example: hypocone).

cuspid: also called canine; an enlarged tooth between the incisors and premolars; usually a large stabbing tooth, occasionally bladelike, but sometimes small and similar to the teeth preceding it. Absent in rodents.

cuspidate: Having cusps.

D

dactylopatagium: In bats, membrane that fills space between the digits of the forelimb: d. minus (between digits II and III), d. longus (between digits III and IV), d. latus (between digits IV and V)

deciduous: Shed periodically. In mammalian terminology this term refers to the milk incisors, canines, and premolars that are shed once and replaced by the permanent dentition.

dental formula ( plural: dental formulae); A brief and convenient way of designating the number and arrangement of mammalian teeth; for example: I 3/3 C 1/1 P4/4 M 3/3 = 44 the ancestral complement of eutherian teeth. The letters indicate incisors, canines, premolars in upper and lower jaw in one side of the skull. The number after the equal sign indicates the full complement of teeth in both sides of the skull.

dentary bone: The lower jaw bone, constituting one half of the lower jaw or mandible.

dentine: Ivory=like substance beneath the enamel, usually constituting he bulk of a tooth.

dentition: The teeth, considered collectively, of an animal.

deuterocone: One of the cusps of a premolar tooth of a mammal corresponding in position (anteromedial) to the protocone of a true molar.

diaphragm: A septum dividing the abdominal and thoracic cavities.

diastema: A vacant space, or gap, between teeth.

digit: Any finger or toe.

digitigrade: Walking on the toes and distal ends of the metapodials.

dilambdodont: Molars with a W-shaped outer ridge.

diphyodont: Having two sets of teeth: a milk or deciduous set and then a permanent set.

diprotodont: Condition that exist in the Paucituberculata and Diprotodonta. The lower jaw is shortened and the first lower incisors are greatly elongated to meet the upper incisors.

dispersal: The permanent emigration of individuals from a population

distal: Further from the medial axis or point of attachment or origin.

diurnal: Pertaining to the daylight hours; opposite of nocturnal

dorsal: On the back.

E

edentulate (edentate): Lacking teeth.

emarginate: With a notch or series of notches.

enamel: Extremely hard outer layer on the crown of a tooth. consiting of calcareous compounds.

entotympanic: Bone surrounding the middle ear cavity.

epipubic bones: Paired bones that project anteriorly from the pelvic girdle into the abdominal body wall of most marsupials and monotremes.

estrus: A period of time when female mammals will acccept males and mating occurs. In specific terms, when ovulation occurs. At this time, the pituitary output is predominantly LH and the newly formed corpus luteum in the ovary is producing large quantitites of progesterone.

external auditory meatus: Canal leading from the surface of the head to the tympanic membrane.

external nares: The bony external or anterior aperture of the nasal cavity.

F

fallopian tube: See oviduct.

feces: Intestinal excrement, droppings, scat.

femur (pl. femora): The thigh or proximal leg bone.

fenestrate: Having perforations or openings.

fibula: Lateralmost of the two bones in the lower (distal) portion of the pelvic limb.

fimbriated: Having a fringed or fringe-like border.

foramen (pl. foramina): A perforation through a bone for the passage of a nerve or blood vessel.

foramen magnum: The opening of the skull through which the spinal cord emerges.

folivorous: Leaf-eating.

follicle stimulating hormone (FSH): A pituitary hormone that causes follicles to increase in size and, together with LH, toproduce estrogen and bring about ovulation.

forearm: The part of the forelimb between the elbow and wrist.

fossa: A pit, depession, trough, or extensive opening.

fossorial: Pertaining a subterranean (burrowing) to life style (Examples: moles, mole rats).

frog: A pad in the central area of a hoof.

frontal: the anterior-most pair of bones covering the brain, situated between the orbits. Actually paired, but often fusing together at an early age.

frugivorous: Fruit-eating.

G

gestation period: The period of carrying young in the uterus, as applied to placental mammals; the period of pregnancy.

glenoid fossa: See mandibular fossa.

Gloger's Rule: An ecological rule that states that races of mammals in arid regions are lighter in color than related races in humid regions.

granivorous: Seed or grain-eating.

graviportal: Pertaining to a limb structure adapted for supporting great weight (e.g. elephents)

guard hairs: The stiffer, longer hairs that grow up through the limber, shorter hairs (fur) of a mammal's pelage.

gular: Pertaining to the throat (Example: gular pouches in emballonurid bats).

gymnures: Asian hairy members of the family Erinaceidae

H

habitat: The kind of environment in which a species of organism is normally found.

hallux: The first digit of the pes (foot), the big toe; frequently opposable in arboreal mammals.

hamulus: also known as hamular process or pterygoid; A hooklike spine on the posyterior cormer of the pterygoid bone.

heterodont: Having teeth differentiated into various types, i.e. incisors, canines, premolars, and molars.

herbivorous: Feeding primarily on vegetation.

hibernation: Torpidity, especially in winter entered into by some kinds of mammals; the bodily temperature approximates that of the surroundings; the rate of respiration and the heart beat are much slower than in a non-hibernating mammal.

hispid: covered with stiff hair or bristles.

holotype: A single specimen that is the type-specimen of a particular named species or subspecies.

homodont: Having teeth that are all essentially similar, usually simple cones (secondary homodonty in odontocete whales).

hoof (pl. hoofs or hooves): The digital keratinization in unguligrade mammals, a horny sheath completely encasing the tip of the phalanx and usually providing the animal's only point of contact wiht the substrate.

horizontal ramus: In a lower jaw, the ramus bearing the teeth, and anterior to the vertical ramus.

humerus: The proximal bone of the fore limb, the upper arm.

hypsodont: Teeth with high crowns; usually rootless and ever-growing.

I

illium (pl. ilia): Most dorsal of the three bones in each half of the pelvic girdle. The pelvic bone which articulates with the sacral vertebrae.

imbricate: Overlapping as the shingles of a roof

implantation: The attachment of the embryo to the uterine wall of the female mammal.

Inc. Sed. (Incertae Sedis): In an uncertain position. In classification, relationship of taxon to other taxa not known.

incisive foramen: The anterior palatine foramen, which are paired, are in the bony roof of the anterior part of the cavity of the mouth at the juncture of the premaxillary bones and maxillary bones; they transmit nasal branches of palatine arteries and nasopalatine ducts of Jacobson.

incisors: Nipping or chiselling teeth at the front of the jaws. Upper incisors are always rooted in the premaxillary bone.

incus: The middle ear ossicl eof mammals, situated between malleus and stapes. Derived from the quadrate bone of more primitive vertebrates.

infraorbital foramen or canal: A hole or passageway (canal) through the maxillary bone from the face to the orbit.

inguinal: Pertaining to the region of the groin.

insectivorous: Eating insects; preying or feeding on insects.

interdigital: Situated between the fingers.

infraorbital canal: A passage from the anterior face of the orbit to the side of the rostrum, passing through the base of the maxillary process.

interfemoral membrane: In a bat, the fold of skin stretching from hind legs to tail. The uropatagium.

internal nares: The internal or posterior bony opening(s) of the nasal cavity.;

interorbital constriction: The least distance across the top of the skull between the orbits (eye sockets).

interorbital region: The portion of the cranium lying between the orbits dorsally.

interparietal: An unpaired bone at the rear of the cranium located between the parietals and above and anterior to the occipital.

ischium (pl. ischia): Most posterior and ventral of the three bones of the pelvic girdle.

J

jugal: The bone that forms the midsection of the zygomatic arch.

K

karyotype: an individual's complete set of chromosomes.; also refers to a laboratory-produced image of a person's chromosomes isolated from an individual cell and arranged in numerical order.

karyotyping: the process of pairing and ordering all the chromosomes of an organism, thus providing a genome-wide snapshot of an individual's chromosomes.

karyogram: a graphical representation of a karyotype, or an individual's complete set of chromosomes.

L

labial: On the side next to the lips.

lacrymal: A small bone in the anterior face of the orbit.

lacrymal foramen: A foramen in the lacrymal bone through which the tear duct drains into the nasal cavity, usually near the anterior margin of the orbit.

lambdoidal crest: also known as occipital crest; A transverse bony ridge across the cranium near the posterior border of the parietals.

larynx: A sound-producing organ in amphibians, reptiles and mammalslocated at upper end of the trachea; a cartilaginous structure containing vocal cords (the voice box).

lateral: Situated to the side of the main axis.

least interorbital breadth: The least width between the orbits dorsally.

leucism: A series of defects in melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) resulting in the lack of pigmentation in all or parts of the skin (or plumage) of an animal, but not in the soft parts. Leucism causes white coloration, white patches, spots, or splotches on the skin or fur. Leucism is discernible from albinism because leucism does not affect the pigment cells in the eyes.

lingual: On the side next to the tongue.

litter: The two or more young brought forth at one birth by a female mammal.

longitudinal: Lengthwise, running in a head to tail direction.

loph: A transverse ridge of enamel across a tooth. For more dental terms and illustrations, see Glossary of mammalian dental topography.

lophodont: Teeth whose crowns have a series of lophs. For more dental terms and illustrations, see Glossary of mammalian dental topography.

lumbar: Of or pertaining to the region of the loin.

lutenizing hormone (LH): Pituitary hormone responsible for the formation of the corpus luteum; together with FSH this hormone stimulates the follicle to secret estrogen.

M

malleus: the outermost of the three ear ossicles; derived from te articular bone.

mammae (singular, mamma): The glandular organs for secreting milk.

mandible: The lower jaw, composed of the two dentaries in mammals.

mandibular condyle: The part at the rear of the mandible that articulates with the upper jaw.

mandibular fossa (glenoid fossa): The trough in the squamosal bone for the reception of the mandibular condyle of the dentary.

mandibular symphysis: The suture between the paired dentaries.

manus: The forefoot or hand.

mastoid: Designating or pertaining to the mastoid bone (paired) or its process. This bone is bounded by the squamosal bone, the exoccipital bone, and the tympanic bone.

mastoid breadth: The greatest width across the mastoid processes measured at right angles to the long axis of the skull.

mastoid process: Bone, if present, located just beneath the auditory bulla

maxillary: The bone in the upper jaw that bears the canine, premolar, and molar teeth.

maxillary breadth: Width of skull from some designated place on the lateral face of the right maxillary bone (maxilla) to the corresponding place on the left maxillary bone; in shrews, across the ends of the zygomatic processes of the two maxillary bones.

maxillary plate: That part of the maxillary bone that forms the flat plate-like anterior part of the zygomatic arch; the zyomatic process of the maxillary.

maxillary toothrow: The row of teeth in one maxillary bone; in most mammals all the premolars and molars on one side of the upper jaw.

meatus: A passage or, more restricted, its opening.

medial: Situated in the middle.

mesaxonic foot: type of foot structure where the main weight is suppported by a single digit.

metabolic water: Water formed as an end product of cellular combustion of foodstuffs in an animal's body.

metacarpal: Of or pertaining to a metacarpal bone. A bone of the hand or forefoot between the wrist and fingers; when all the digits are present ,there are five more or less elongated metacarpal bones, one at the base of each digit.

metatarsal: Any one of the bones in the pes between the tarsals and the phalanges, one metatarsal per digit.

milk tooth: Any tooth in the deciduous set of mammals with diphyodont dentition. Replaced by permanent teeth.

molar: The posterior teeth in the upper and lower jaws that are nondeciduous.

molt (moult): In a mammal, the act or process of shedding or casting off the hair, or outer layer of skin or horns; most mammals shed the hair once, twice, or three times annually. The cast off covering (obsolete). As a verb: to be shed (intransitive) or to shed (transitive).

muzzle: the snout; the nose and jaws of an animal.

N

nares: The openings of the nasal cavity.

nasal: The anterior-most pair of middorsal bones forming the roof of the nasal passage.

nasal septum: A thin, median, vertical partition of bone that divides the nasal cavity into right and left halves.

nectivorous: Feedng on nectar.

neotype: a type specimen that is selected subsequent to the description of a species to replace a preexisting type that has been lost or destroyed.

nocturnal: Active by night (opposed to diurnal).

nomenclature: The scientific naming of animals.

nuchal: Pertaining to the back of the neck.

O

occipital: The bone surrounding the foramen magnum and bearing the occipital condyles. Formed from 4 embryonic elements, the basioccipital below, 2 exoccipitals, and the supraoccipital above.

occipital condyle: A knob on either side of the foramen magnum that articulates with the first vertebra.

occipital crest: See lambdoidal crest.

occipitonasal length: Least distance between two vertical lines, one touching the posteriormost part of the skull above the foramen magnum (opening for the spinal cord) and the other touching the anteriormost part of the nasal bones or a nasal bone.

occiput: The hinder portion of the skull above the foramen magnum.

occlusal surface: The crown of the tooth; the grinding surface that faces against the tooth opposing it.

occlusal view: In dentistry, the view showing the roof or floor of the mouth.

opposable: Capable of being placed opposite something else; said of the first toe of an opossum in the sense that it can be placed opposite each of the other toes on that same foot.

orbit: The bony socket that contains the eyeball.

orbitosphenoid: Portion of the sphenoid that is visible in the wall of the orbit.

os falciforme - (falciform bone): Accessory skeletal element of the hand of moles (Talpidae; "6th digit").

osseous: Composed of, or resembling, bone; bony. Osseous tissue is bony tissue.

ossified: Hardened by the deposition of calcium, into bone.

overhairs: The longer hairs of the pelage of a mammal that project above the fur (shorter hairs).

oviduct: The duct that carries the eggs from the ovary to the uterus. Inhuman anatomy the term Fallopian tube is used.

P

palatal: Of or pertaining to the palate (as generally used, the bony roof of the mouth made up of two palatine bones, two maxillary bones, and two premaxillary bones).

palatal bridge: The solid posterior border of the palate in many Arvicolinae (Microtinae) which seems to bridge over the two troughs or rows of foramina that pass forward from the bridge to the incisive foramina.

palatal length: From the anterior border of the median incisive alveoli to the posterior border of the palate (not including the spine).

palatal pit: A depression in the lateral border of each palatine bone near the posterior molar.

palatal process: The portion of either the premaxillary or the maxillary bone that contributes to the formation of the hard palate.

palatal spine: A median spine projecting posteriorly from the rear border of the palate.

palate: The bony roof of the mouth composed of parts of the premaxillary, maxillary and palatine bones.

palatilar length: From the posterior border of the median incisive alveoli to the posterior border of the palate (not including the spine).

palatine: Paired bones that form the posterior part of the hard palate, and wall the anterior part of the interpterygoid fossa.

palatine vacuity: An irregular fenestration or perforation of the palatal portion of the palatine bone.

parietal: Paired bones roofing the posterior part of the braincase.

patagium (pl. patagia): The flight membrane in bats.

pectoral: Pertaining to or situated upon the chest (Example: pectoral mammae).

pelage: The fur, hair, or wool of a mammal.

pencil: Tuft of fur or hair, as a black pencil on the end of the tail of a mammal.

penicillate: Having a pencil, or tuft of longer hair (see above).

pes: The hind foot. Collectively the tarsals, metatarsals and phalanges of the pelvic limb.

phalanx (plural, phalanges): A bone, in a finger, distal to the metacarpus or a bone, in a toe, distal to the metatarsus.

phylogeny: The evolutionary history of an animal.

pinna (plural, pinnae): External ear.

plagiopatagium: The membrane forming the wing of a bat.

plantigrade: Feet in which parts enclosing the phalanges and metatarsals all touch the ground. For ambulatory (walking) locomotion.

polyembryony: The development of more than one individual from a fertilized ovum (Example: Dasypus novemcinctus, 9-banded armadillo)

polyprotodont: Condition found in the Didelphimorphia and Peramelina in which the lower jaw is not shortened and the anterior lower incisors are not greatly elongated.

postauricular: Situated behind the auricle (pinna) of the ear, as a postauricular patch (ordinarily referring to a patch of fur differing in color from surrounding fur).

postmandibular canal

postorbital: Situated behind the eye, as postorbital process of the frontal bone or postorbital process of the jugal bone.

postorbital bar: A bony bar between the orbit and the temporal fossa, formed by the union of the two postorbital processes.

postorbital process: A projection from either the jugal bone on the zygomatic arch, or the frontal bone, partially separating the orbit and the temporal fossa.

postglenoid length: From the plane of the posterior border of the mandibular fossa to the posterior tip of the occipital condyles, measured along the main axis of the skull.

pregenital: Anterior to the genital organs.

prehensile: Structures adapted for grasping or seizing by curling or wrapping around such as the tail of some American monkeys and oppossums.

premaxillary: Paired bones in the front of the upper jaw that bear the incisor teeth.

premolar: Designating or pertaining to one of the teeth (a maximum of 4 on each side of upper jaw and lower jaw of placental mammals, or 16 in all) in front of the true molars. When canine teeth are present, premolars are behind these teeth; premolars are preceded by deciduous teeth, and in the upper jaw are confined to the maxillary bone.

presphenoid: An unpaired median bone in the floor of the interpterygoid fossa, with two lateral wings, sometimes called orbitosphenoids, that form part of each orbit.

prismatic: With a pattern consisting of sharply angled triangles, or loops with sharp salient angles. Geometric in appearance (example: Microtus cheek teeth)

procumbent: Pertaining to teeth that slant forward, such as the incisor teeth of a horse.

propatagium: In bats, thin web of skin that extends from the shoulder to the wrist anterior to the upper arm and forearm.

proximal: Being nearer to the midline of the body than the referred structure. Thus the wrist is proximal to the hand, the forearm is proximal to the wrist, the elbow is proximal to the forearm, etc. The opposite of distal.

pterygoid: Paired bones, sometimes fused to the basisphenoid and alisphenoids, that form the walls of the posterior part of the interpterygoid fossa.

pubic symphysis: Midventral plane of contact between the two halves of the pelvic girdle.

pubis: Either of the pair of bones forming the anterior ventral portion of the pelvic girdle.

R

race, local race: A subspecific group of animals all differing in the same minor characters from other comparable groups wthin the species, each group usually associated with a particular locality or set of ecological conditions.

radius: one of the two bone of the forearm.

ramus: one of the two branches of the mandible.

reentrant angle: An infold of the enamel layer on the side, front, or back of a cheek-tooth, as in a molar of a muskrat or wood rat.

reticulate: net-like

rostrum: The portion of the skull anterior to the orbits that holds the teeth, palate, and nasal cavity.

rump spines (see guard hairs)

rut: The breeding period, as in deer.

S

sacral: Of or pertaining to the sacrum - the region of the vertebral column between the lumbar and the caudal vertebrae.

sagittal crest: The ridge of bone at the juncture of the two parietal bones resulting from the coalescence of the temporal ridges; in old individuals of many species of mammals, the crest extends from the middle of the lambdoidal crest anteriorly onto the frontal bones and divides there into two temporal ridges, each of which extends anterolaterally on the posterior edge of the postorbital process of the frontal bone.

salient angle: The outward-projecting sharp angles on the sides of certain types of hypsodont teeth.

saliva: The fluid secreted by the glands discharging into the mouth.

saltatorial: Adapted for leaping locomotion.

sanguinivorous: Feeding on blood.

scansorial: Pertaining to arboreal mammals that climb by means of sharp recurving claws. e.g. tree squirrels.

scapula: The shoulder blade. The dorsalmost bone in the pectoral girdle of mammals.

scavenger: An animal that feeds on dead animals matter that it has not killed (carrion)

secodont: Cheek teeth with a cutting or shearing action adapted for a carnivorous diet.

selenodont: Teeth with longitudinal crescentic ridges of enamel.

sensu lato: in the broad sense.; (taxonomy) In the broad sense (of a taxon). Added after a taxon to mean the taxon is being used in the broad sense that is including all its subordinate taxa and/or other taxa other times considered as distinct.

sensu stricto: strictly speaking; in the narrow sense.; (taxonomy) In the narrow sense (of a taxon). Added after a taxon to mean the taxon is being used in the sense of the original author, or without taxa which may otherwise be associated with it.

septum: A dividing wall separating two cavities.

sigmoid: S-shaped

sphenoid: Alternate name for the basisphenoid, especially when fused with the alisphenoid and pterygoids.

squamosal: A fan-shaped bone on either side of the braincase above the auditory bulla.

squamosal peg

stapes: The innermost of the three middle ear ossicles. A small stirrup-shaped bone derived from the columella of reptiles.

sternebra: A segment of the sternum before complete ossification.

sternum: The breastbone. A ventral structure of bone and cartilage with which the pectoral girdle or ribs or both articulate.

subauricular spot: A spot, patch of hair, distinctively colored immediately below the ear.

sulcate: Bearing grooves, grooved.

supraorbital process of frontal: The process of the frontal bone on the top rim of the orbit, as in a rabbit.

supraorbital ridge: A beadlige ridge bordering the orbit dorsally.

suture: An immovable line of union between two bones.

sympatric

(of animals or plants, especially of related species or populations) occurring within the same geographical area; overlapping in distribution.

sympatry: The term used to describe populations, varieties, or species that occur in the same place at the same time.

symphysis: An immovable articulation between the ends of two bones meeting at the midine of the body.

syndactylous: Pertaining to two or more digits that are fused together.

T

tail crest

tail tuft

tarsal bones: Series of bones in the ankle. They are distal to the fibula and tibia and proximal to the metatarsals.

tarsus: The ankle.

taxon (plural: taxa); Any group of organisms formally named under the rules of taxonomic nomenclature. Thus Homo sapiens is a taxon that happens to be at the species level. Animalia also is a taxon (at the kingdom level, of course). This differs from rank, which refers to a level of the taxonomic hierarchy (such as genus, order, phylum).

taxonomy: The systematic arrangement of the animal (or plant) world in a natural order of evolutionary relationship. It is necessarly closely associated with nomenclature.

temporal fossa: The large space between the orbit enclosed by the zygomatic arch and the postorbital processes.

temporal ridge: A ridge traversing the top or side of the braincase, marking the dorsal border of the insertion of the temporal muscle. They may be found on parts of the frontal and parietal bones and sometimes on the squamosal. They may fuse to form a sagittal crest.

terrestrial: Inhabiting the land, rather than the water, trees, or air.

thoracic: Appertaining to or situated upon the chest.

tibia (plural, tibiae): The inner and usually larger of the two bones of the hind limb (leg) between the knee and the ankle.

tine: Any one of the spikes or prongs of the antler.

toe pads

torpid: Having lost most of the power of exertion; dormant. A ground squirrel is torpid when it is hibernating.

trachea: In vertebrates a cartilaginous tube leading from the larynx to the bronchi through which air passes to the lungs.

tragus: The projection from the lower medial margin of the pinna in most microchiropteran bats.

transverse: In a direction across the body from side to side.

tricolor: Having three colors. Said of hair on back of a mammal when the hair has three bands, each of a different color.

tricuspid: Having three cusps.

trifid: Divided into three parts by two notches

tuberculate: With rounded elevations or tubercles.

tuberculosectorial: Primitive teeth consisting of cusps arranged in asymetrical triangles, the lower ones having a low heel behind.

turbinal: Any one of the several scroll-like ethmoid bones in the nasal cavity.

tympanic: The bone that forms the auditory bulla.

type: The specimen used in the original description as the basis of naming a new species or subspecies. More properly referred to as the holotype.

type locality: The exact locality from which an orignal type specimen came.

U

underfur: The short hair of a mammal; in temperate and boreal climates, the underfur ordinarily is denser, made up of more hairs, than the longer and coarser overhair.

underparts: The underneath (ventral) side of a mammal (not the back or sides), as of a woods mouse with white underparts.

unicuspid: A tooth bearing only a single cusp. In shrew the term refers to the series of three, four, or five small pointed teeth in the jaws behind the enlarged anterior pair.

uropatagium: Skin membrane extending between the hindlegs and frequently enclosing the tail - especially in bats.

upper parts: The top (dorsal) surface and all of the sides (not the belly, chest, or throat), as of a woods mouse with reddish-brown upper parts.

uropatagium: The interfemoral membrane of a bat; that is to say, the fold of skin that stretches from the hind legs to the tail.

V

vacuity: Opening or perforation in a bony plate.

ventral: Pertaining to or on the abdominal side; on the underside of an animal as opposed to the back (dorsal).

vestigial: Small or degenerate.

vibrissa: A stout, stiff and generally very long, tactile bristle growing singly or in small clusters, mostly in a few constant and well-recognized sites on the body.

vomer: A median unpaired bone lying in the floor of the nasal cavity above the hard palate.

Z

zalambdodont: Molars having a lateral, V-shaped ridge.

zygoma (pl. zygomata): See zygomatic arch.

zygomatic arch: The arch of bone that forms the lateral border of the orbit and temporal fossa.

zygomatic breadth: The greatest width across the zygomata, measured at right angles to the long axis of the skull.

zygomatic plate: The zygomatic process of the maxillary bone when this process is in the form of a thin plate.

zygomatic process: A process of either the maxillary or squamosal bone that contributes to the formation of the zygomatic arch.

zygote: The fertilized egg.

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