Talking about Animals: English Vocabulary List

a class of animals to which humans, cows, lions, etc. belong, have warm blood, fur or hair and typically produce milk to feed their young

"A dog is a mammal."

"A whale is a marine mammal, not a fish, because it breathes air and feeds milk to its young."

a small creature such as a bee or ant that has six legs, and generally one or two pairs of wings

"An ant is a social insect living in a colony."

"A stick insect is a master of camouflage, perfectly blending into branches to avoid being detected."

a group that animals, plants, etc. of the same type which are capable of producing healthy offspring with each other are divided into

"The panda is a critically endangered species."

"This particular species of orchid is extremely rare and can only be found in a small region of the Amazon rainforest."

a structure that a bird makes for laying eggs or keeping the hatchlings in

"The bird built a nest."

"The mother bird diligently gathered twigs and soft materials to construct a secure and cozy nest for her newly hatched chicks."

any of the light and soft parts covering the body of a bird

"A beautiful bird feather rested on the windowsill."

"The peacock shed a single blue and green feather which the child picked up from the ground."

a sharp and curved nail on the toe of an animal or a bird

"The eagle's claw was sharp and terrifying."

"The cat used its sharp claw to tear the fabric of the sofa while the owner was away."

a place where many kinds of animals are kept for exhibition, breeding, and protection

"We saw the new baby elephant at the zoo."

"The children were very excited to visit the zoo and see the new baby panda for the first time."

(of an animal or plant) living or growing in a natural state, without any human interference

"The animal is wild."

"The wild bear wandered into the campground looking for food so the rangers warned everyone to stay inside their tents."

(of a bird or animal) Unable to fly

"The penguin is flightless."

"The flightless penguin waddled across the ice while its friends slid on their bellies toward the freezing cold water."

(of an animal, plant, etc.) being at risk of extinction

"The tiger is endangered."

"The endangered tiger is protected by law because there are only a few hundred left in the wild today."

describing an animal that its body temperature changes depending on the temperature of its surroundings

"The snake is cold-blooded."

"The cold blooded snake lay motionless on the warm rock to raise its body temperature after the chilly night."

describing an animal that is able to maintain a higher body temperature than its surroundings

"Birds are warm-blooded."

"Warm blooded animals like dogs and cats maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the weather outside their bodies."