| Term | Definition |
|---|
| mammal | a warm-blooded animal that feeds its young with milk and has a backbone, two pairs of limbs, and a more or less complete covering of hair |
| digest | the change (food) into simpler forms that can be taken in and used by the body |
| incisor teeth | teeth for cutting or biting |
| canine teeth | teeth for tearing and gripping |
| premolar teeth | teeth that come between the canines and the molars used for grinding |
| molar | teeth with a broad surface used for grinding, usually a back tooth |
| epidermis | a thin outer layer of skin covering the dermis and in mammals usually has hair on it |
| dermis | the inner sensitive layer of the skin that gets bruised and bleeds and is under the epidermis |
| glands | organs in the body that make and release chemicals |
| scent glands | glands in the dermis that release odors |
| sweat glands | glands that produce sweat and release it onto the epidermis, where it eventually evaporates, thus, cooling off the animal |
| carnivore | any animal that feeds on meat |
| carnassial teeth | carnivores have molars and premolars specially designed to cut meat |
| caniforms | dog-like carnivores |
| feliforms | cat-like carnivores |
| Canidae | in animal classification, it is the Family, which is made up of true dogs, as well as other caniforms, like bears, raccoons, and others |
| Felidae | in animal classification, it is the Family, which are cats, as well as others like hyenas and mongooses |
| genes | a unit of DNA that controls the development of a single characteristic in an individual – two copies are given to every creature – one from each parent. |
| DNA | deoxyribonucleic acid – it stores a lot of information that helps the creature be what it is supposed to be. It stores that information in the form of genes |
| dominant gene | the 'strong' gene with the information that 'wins' and its information will be used expressed in the creature |
| recessive gene | the 'weaker' gene with the information that will not be used when the dominant gene is present. It will be 'masked' |
| alpha male | male leader in a canine pack |
| alpha female | female leader in a canine pack |
| dominant pair | composed of the alpha male and alpha female in a canine pack and they are the only dogs allowed to have puppies |
| digitigrades | animals that walk on their toes, so that each toe has its own pad to absorb shock from the ground and make it easier to get traction, which give them the ability to fun swiftly |
| olfactory senses | organs of smell |
| opportunistic | adapting one's lifestyle and eating habits in order to survive, such as wolves adapting to living near cities and changing their diet. |
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