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shipworm

(Encyclopedia)shipworm or teredo tĕrēˈdō [key], marine bivalve mollusk of the family Teredinidae, specialized for boring in wood. A shipworm is not a worm, but a greatly elongated clam. Its two shells, enclosin...

sociobiology

(Encyclopedia)sociobiology, controversial field that studies how natural selection, previously used only to explain the evolution of physical characteristics, shapes behavior in animals and humans. The theory has c...

pocket mouse

(Encyclopedia)pocket mouse, small jumping rodent of W North America and as far south as N South America. More closely related to the squirrel than the true mouse, the pocket mouse gets its name from the fur-lined c...

physiology

(Encyclopedia)physiology fĭzēŏlˈəjē [key], study of the normal functioning of animals and plants during life and of the activities by which life is maintained and transmitted. It is based fundamentally on the...

Rottweiler

(Encyclopedia)Rottweiler rŏtˈwīlər [key], breed of sturdy working dog developed from a Roman cattle dog introduced into S Germany more than 1,900 years ago. It stands from 213⁄4 to 27 in. (55.3–68.6 cm) hig...

Newfoundland, breed of dog

(Encyclopedia)Newfoundland, breed of massive, powerful working dog developed in Newfoundland, probably in the 17th cent., and later perfected in England. It stands from 25 to 28 in. (63.5–71.1 cm) high at the sho...

trilobite

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Dorsal view of a trilobite trilobite trīˈləbītˌ [key], subphylum of the phylum Arthropoda that includes a large group of extinct marine animals that were abundant in the Paleozoic era. Th...

valine

(Encyclopedia)CE5 valine vălˈēn [key], organic compound, one of the 22 α-amino acids commonly found in animal proteins. Only the l-stereoisomer appears in mammalian protein. It is one of several essential am...

taxidermy

(Encyclopedia)taxidermy tăkˈsĭdûrˌmē [key], process of skinning, preserving, and mounting vertebrate animals so that they still appear lifelike. The fur or feathers are cleaned, and the skin, treated with a c...

biodiesel

(Encyclopedia)biodiesel, fuel made from natural, renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats, for use in a diesel engine. Biodiesel has physical properties very similar to petroleum-deriv...