| biologist | scientist who studies living things, including their origins, structures, activities, and distribution |
| bluff | a high, steep slope or cliff |
| lagoon | a pond or small lake, especially one connected with a larger body of water |
| massive | big and heavy; bulky |
| rumbling | making a deep, heavy, continous sound |
| tropical | of or like the regions 23.45 degrees north or south of the equator where the sun can shine directly overhead |
| encounter | an unexpected meeting |
| exhaling | breathing out |