| acre |
a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet, used to measure land. The acre is a standard unit of measurement in the United States and the United Kingdom. |
| albatross |
a very large sea bird found mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. Albatrosses have webbed feet, long narrow wings, and hooked beaks. |
| anaconda |
a very large snake found in South America. Anacondas are not poisonous but kill other animals by squeezing them until they cannot breathe. Anacondas can grow to over twenty feet long. |
| antelope |
an animal with horns, a long neck, long legs, and hooves. Antelopes are known for their fast running. Antelopes are mammals that eat plants and chew their cud. The smallest kind of antelope is only one foot tall; the largest antelope is six feet tall at the shoulder. Gazelles, gnus, and impalas are all antelopes. Most antelopes live in Africa; some also live in Asia. [1/2 definitions] |
| ape |
a mammal in the group of primates, which includes chimpanzees, gibbons, gorillas, and orangutans. Apes do not have tails. They have very flexible hands and feet. Apes range in size from three to six feet tall, and they can weigh up to 450 pounds. Apes live in the forests in Africa and Asia. [1/2 definitions] |
| armadillo |
a mammal whose body is protected by hard, bony plates. Armadillos live in Central and South America, and the southern United States. Some kinds of armadillos are only six inches long; other kinds grow up to four feet in length. They eat mostly insects and are related to sloths and anteaters. |
| attention |
a way in which a person stands in the military, with the body straight, the legs and feet together, and the eyes looking forward. [1/4 definitions] |
| auk |
a sea bird with webbed feet and short wings that lives in colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Auks are good at swimming and diving. |
| bald eagle |
a large eagle of the United States and Canada that is dark brown with a white head and tail. Bald eagles have a wingspan of about seven feet. |
| barefoot |
with nothing on the feet. [2 definitions] |
| bat2 |
a small mammal that flies. Bats have small bodies and large wings covered with skin. Most bats eat at night, when they use sound to find and catch flying insects. Bats are found in most parts of the world. There are around one thousand kinds of bats. Their wingspans range from less than two inches to more than five feet. Some kinds of bats live in large colonies that roost in caves or in a section of forest. |
| beaver1 |
a large rodent, up to four feet long, with thick brown fur and a wide flat tail. Beavers use their long front teeth to cut down trees for food and to build dams and lodges (beaver houses). They use the dams to keep water around their lodges. Beavers live in North America, Europe, and Asia. |
| bird |
an animal with two wings, two feet, and a body covered with feathers. Most birds can fly. Birds are warm-blooded animals with skeletons inside their bodies. Birds lay eggs with hard shells. Robins, eagles, chickens, and ostriches are a few of the many kinds of birds. |
| blue whale |
a mammal that lives in the ocean. Blue whales are the largest kind of animal that has ever lived. They can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. Their large mouths have baleen instead of teeth. Blue whales use baleen to filter lots of very small food such as shrimp from ocean water. |
| clamber |
to climb with difficulty or in an awkward way, using hands and feet. |
| condor |
one of two kinds of vultures that are the largest flying birds of the Western Hemisphere. They have a bald head and neck, dark feathers, and can measure twelve feet across when they spread their wings. |
| cord |
an amount of wood cut for fuel that equals 128 cubic feet. A cord of wood is arranged in a pile measuring 4 feet wide, 4 feet high, and 8 feet long. [1/4 definitions] |
| crawl |
a swimming stroke. The swimmer keeps his face in the water while the feet kick without stopping and the arms reach in front of the head one at a time. [1/6 definitions] |
| dance |
to move the feet and body in a rhythmic way, usually to music. [1/7 definitions] |
| Dead Sea |
a large salt lake between the countries of Israel and Jordan. The Dead Sea lies at about 1300 feet below sea level, which makes it the lowest known place on the surface of the earth. |
| deer |
a mammal with short fur, long legs, and a long neck. Deer have hooves on their feet and can run very fast. The males of most kinds of deer grow and shed antlers every year. Deer are herbivores that chew their cud. Caribou, elk, moose, reindeer, and white-tailed deer are all kinds of deer. |