Abdomen : The last of the three main body parts on an insect..
Adaptation : A change in structure or habits to make an organism more suited to its surroundings.
Adult : A fully grown and developed organism.
Antennae : Long, segmented feelers on the heads of insects and other small
creatures.
Anthill : A small pile of dirt formed when ants dig underground.
Aphid : A tiny insect that lives off the liquid found in plants.
Arthropod : Animals without backbones that have jointed pairs of antennae, wings or legs.
Bait : Food used to attract an animal.
Ballooning : What spiders do when they sail in the wind on their silk threads.
Camouflage : Special markings, texture, or colourings used by creatures to hide themselves from enemies.
Carnivore : A meat eating animal.
Cell : A small space in a beehive where a bee keeps honey or lays eggs.
Centipede : An insect which has one pair of legs on each segment of the body.
Cephalothorax : The combined head and thorax on animals such as spiders.
Classify : To group creatures/objects according to similarities.
Cluster : The clumping of or congregation of bees in a hive during cold weather. The outside bees in the cluster change places with inner bees to keep warm.
Community : The total population of organisms living in a specific area.
Decomposer : A fungus, bacteria or animal that obtains food by breaking down dead plant and animal matter.
Dragline : A line spun by web building spiders; used by the spider to drop quickly.
Drone : A male bee whose sole function is to fertilize the eggs.
Ecosystem : The relationship between organisms and the environment.
Endangered : Any type of animal or creature that may soon become extinct.
Entomologist : A scientist who studies insects.
Environment : The surrounding conditions or influences (chemical, physical and biological) that affect living things.
Exterminator : A person who kills harmful insects or pests in buildings, etc. (usually with a poisonous, toxic spray).
Extinct : Having no living members of a particular species or group.
Feeler : A part of an insect's body, usually located on the head; helps to determine touch and smell.
Grub : The stage at which some insects look like worms.
Habitat : The environment in which an animal normally meets its basic needs.
Herbivore : A plant-eating animal.
Hermaphrodite : An organism which produces both male and female sex cells.
Hibernate : To sleep or be inactive throughout the winter.
Insect : An arthropod, having three body parts - head, thorax and abdomen - a pair of antennae, 6 jointed legs, and usually one or two wings during the adult stage.
Instar : one of the observable stages in the life of a larva. These are typically numbered, e.g., first instar, second instar, third instar, etc.. Each instar is separated by a molt.
Invertebrates : Animals without backbones.
Larva : The wingless, wormlike stage of an insect.
Life cycle : The developmental stages through which an animal or organism passes as it develops from egg to adult.
Maggot : The larva of a fly.
Mantle : The fold of skin on the back of a mollusk which acts as a protective, outer covering.
Migrate : To move from one place to another, usually according to the seasons.
Molt : To shed skin, feathers, hair, etc., as new growth begins. ; the process of constructing a new skin and shedding the old, dead skin.
Nectar : The sweet liquid found in flowering plants.
Nymph : The immature stage of an insect that goes through incomplete or simple metamorphosis.
Omnivore : An animal that eats both plants and animals.
Palps : The leg-like parts located beside a spider's jaw, used to hold prey and crush food.
Pesticide : A substance that is used to control the spread of harmful organisms. Pesticides are extremely toxic to both animals and humans and should be used sparingly - if at all.
Pollinate : When the pollen from one flower is carried to another (usually by insects), allowing the second flower to create a seed.
Pooter : A device used for catching small insects - usually a straw with a nylon strainer in it.
Population : The total number of similar organisms in a specific area at a given time.
Predator : An animal that preys on other animals.
Prey : An animal that serves as food for another animal.
Sap : The liquid food made in a plant which carries water and minerals throughout the plant.
Scavenger : An animal that eats the remains of dead animals.
Segments : The sections of body parts on a small creature.
Silk : The fine, strong fiber secreted by spiders to spin webs.
Slime : A mucous-like secretion which enables the slug/snail to move along its path.
Slug : A slow moving mollusk that has no shell (usually found in damp places).
Specimen : An object or animal collected as a sample for further study.
Spider : An arthropod that has two main body parts, eight legs and fangs.
Spinnerets : The small tubes located on a spider's abdomen by which it makes silk.
Swarming : The congregation and movement together of a queen and workers from a former hive to a new location.
Taxonomist : The scientist who classifies plants and animals into different groups.
Thorax : The mid-section of an insect's body to which the legs and wings are attached.
Toxic : A substance that is harmful, destructive or poisonous.
Vertebrates : Any animal that has a backbone.
Warm-blooded : Animals that maintain a constant body temperature regardless of outside temperatures.
Web : A structure of silken threads constructed by a spider as a home and a trap for its prey.
Return to Grade 2 Science Home Page
