More Biomes

Enchanted Learning All About Rainforests!

Geography

Rainforest Glossary

SATURN BUTTERFLY The Saturn Butterfly (Zeuxidia amethystus) has a wingspan of about 3.9-4.3 inches (10-11cm) and lives in the shady forest understory. The female is paler than the male (above). The Saturn Butterfly is found in Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, Burma, and Sumatra. It was named by Butler in 1865. Classification: Family Nymphalidae (Subfamily Morphinae).

SCAPULA The scapula is the shoulder bone.

SCARLET MACAW A brilliantly-colored parrot from Central and South American rain forests.

SCAVENGER Scavengers are animals that eat dead animals that they did not kill themselves. Most meat-eaters are scavengers. Hyenas are modern-day scavengers.

SEDIMENT Sediment is any material deposited by wind or water, like rocks and sand.

SEDIMENTARY ROCK Sedimentary rock is rock that has formed from sediment. Most fossils are found sedimentary rock.

SERRATED Serrated means having a jagged edge that is good for sawing. Serrated teeth are good for cutting through flesh.

SERVAL A long-legged African wild cat.

SHIFTING CULTIVATION Shifting cultivation is a type of farming in which fields are used for a few years, and are then left to grow in a wild state for many years. This allows the soil to recover and become rich and fertile again.

SHRIMP Shrimp are small, bottom-dwelling crustaceans with a translucent exoskeleton.

SHRUB LAYER The shrub layer is the layer of the rainforest above the floor but under the canopy.

SIAMANG The siamang is a rare, black, long-armed ape.

SKIPPER Skippers (family Hesperiidae) are drab-colored, moth-like butterflies that are distinguished by the hook at the end of their antennae (instead of a club, like other butterflies have). These antennae are also farther apart at the base than other butterflies. There are about 2,000 different species of Skippers. They fly in a darting fashion (hence their name) and hold their wings in a moth-like fashion when at rest. The Australian Skipper also has a humeral lobe (a frenulum-like projection on its hind wing which holds the fore wings and hind wings together during flight).

SKULL The skull is the bony structure of the head in some animals that encloses the brain and supports the jaws.

SLASH-AND-BURN FARMING Slash-and-burn farming is a destructive type of agriculture in which the farmer burns down a new portion of the rainforest every few years in order to cultivate a crop.

SLOTH The sloth is a slow-moving mammal that lives in trees. Sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside-down from tree branches; they eat, sleep, mate, and give birth upside-down in the trees. They hold onto tree branches with strong, curved claws that are on each of their four feet. These plant-eaters are more active at night; they eat leaves, tender young shoots, and fruit. Sloths have a thick brown (and slightly-greenish) fur coat and are about the size of a cat (roughly 2 feet = 61 cm long). Their coloration and their slow actions make them almost disappear in the forest canopy. Some sloths have colonies of green algae encrusting their fur, both adding to the camouflage effect and providing some nutrients to the sloths, who lick the algae. These mostly-quiet mammals live in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. Sloths may live 10-20 years in the wild. Sloths are hunted by jaguars, eagles, and man. Classification: Class Mammalia, Order Xenarthra, Family Bradypodidae and Megalonychidae.

SLUG The slug is an invertebrate animal that lives in moist areas.

SMALL-EARED ZORRO The small-eared zorro is a dog-like fox from South American rainforests.

SNAKE A snake is a reptile with no legs. It has skin with scales. There are many snakes in rainforests.

SOLAR RADIATION Solar radiation is the heat and light that comes from the sun.

SPECTACLED CAIMAN The Spectacled Caiman is a common meat-eating reptile from fresh water habitats in South and Central America.

SPIDER Spiders have eight legs.

SUGAR GLIDER This small marsupial (also known as the lesser flying phalanger) glides from tree to tree in Australia and nearby islands.

SUSTAINABLE USE Sustainable use is the judicious use of natural resources without destroying them.

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY Swallowtail butterflies (family Papilionidae) are strong fliers with three fully developed pairs of legs. Many swallowtails have distinctive tailed wings (hence the family name). They lay spherical eggs. These butterflies are found from the tropics to more temperate regions.

SYMBIOSIS Symbiosis is a situation in which two dissimilar organisms live together. There are many types of symbiosis, including mutualism (in which both organisms benefit), commensalism (in which one organism benefits and the other is not affected), or parasitism (in which one organism benefits at the other organism's expense). Symbiosis used to be defined as a situation in which two dissimilar organisms live together to the benefit of both - this is now called mutualism. The word symbiosis means "living together"" in Greek.

SYNAPSID Synapsids are animals that are distinguished by having a skull with an extra low opening behind the eyes; this opening gave these animals stronger jaw muscles and jaws (the jaw muscles were anchored to the skull opening). Synapsids include the mammals, and extinct animals such as Dimetrodon. The pelycosaurs were early synapsids; later synapsids were the therapsids, cynodonts and dicynodonts (from the late Permian), leading to the mammals. With time, the synapsid gait became more upright and tail length decreased.

Zoom Rainforests Rainforest Glossary

Enchanted Learning^®
Over 35,000 Web Pages
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers, or click below

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail