Page 206 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

GLOSSARY

ABYSS COLONY FEEDING FRENZY INVERTEBRATE
The abyss, or abyssal zone, is the A group of animals that live closely When a group of predators, such as An animal without a backbone.
deepest part of the ocean, stretching together, often relying on each other. sharks or sailfish, work together to Includes corals, mollusks, starfish,
13,100 to 19,700 ft (4,000–6,000 m). Corals live in colonies. herd and attack prey, often with few jellyfish, shrimp, and sponges.
It is intensely dark and cold and few of the prey surviving.
animals are able to live there. CORAL JUVENILE
Soft-bodied animals that live in large FEELER A young animal that is not yet able
ALGAE groups or colonies, usually in warm, Part of the body that is used to sense to reproduce.
A group of simple plants that include shallow seas. They secrete a substance or touch things, especially when
microscopic green plankton and that hardens into stone around them searching for food. LARVA
enormous multicelled seaweeds, for protection. A young stage of an animal that looks
such as giant kelp. FILTER FEEDER very different from its adult form. Many
CRUSTACEAN An animal that feeds by filtering out marine animals spend part of their
BELL An animal such as a shrimp, crab, or plankton or small particles of food early life as a larva, including crabs,
The umbrella-shaped body of lobster that has a hard outer shell and suspended in water. corals, and lobsters. (Plural is larvae.)
a jellyfish. four or more pairs of limbs. They have
to molt the outer shell to grow. FLATFISH LURE
BIOLUMINESCENCE A flattened species of fish that swims A part of the body of a marine animal
The production of light by animals. DECIBEL on its side, close to the seabed. Both that is used as bait to attract another
It can be used to attract a mate, for A unit that measures the intensity or eyes lie on the same side of the head. animal when hunting. Lures can
camouflage, as a decoy, for catching loudness of a sound. Total silence is just Members of this group include plaice, resemble a food animal, such as a
prey, or for communication. It is above 0 decibels (dB). soles, and halibut. worm, or be bioluminescent to attract
created by a chemical reaction in prey in darkness.
the animal’s body. DISK WIDTH GAPE
Term used to describe the body size The wide opening of an animal’s MAMMAL
BUOYANCY of a fish, such as a ray, that has “wings.” mouth or shell. A warm-blooded animal that has hair
The ability of a marine organism and feeds its young on milk. Marine
to float in water. DORSAL FIN GESTATION mammals include whales, dolphins,
An unpaired, upright fin on the back The period of time, also called a and seals.
CAMOUFLAGE of a fish, whale, or dolphin. pregnancy, between the fertilization
Colors and patterns on an animal’s of an egg and the birth of an animal. MEMBRANE
skin that help it blend in with ECHINODERM A thin, flexible piece of skinlike tissue
its surroundings. A marine invertebrate that has a chalky GILLS that acts as a barrier.
outer skeleton and tube feet, such as a The structures used by fish and other
CANINE sea star (starfish) or sea urchin. aquatic animals to obtain oxygen MIDNIGHT ZONE
A pointed tooth that is often enlarged from water. Usually arranged in pairs, The cold, dark zone in the middle of
in meat eaters and is used for tearing ELECTRORECEPTION they also get rid of waste carbon the ocean. It generally describes depths
food. In walruses and narwhals the The ability of an aquatic animal to dioxide from the blood. between 3,300–13,100 ft (1,000 and
upper canines grow long enough to detect an electric field or current. 4,000 m) below the surface. Animals
form tusks. It is used for detecting objects or HERTZ that live here have to cope with intense
for communication. A unit (Hz) used to measure the pressure and constant darkness.
CARTILAGE frequency of sound waves. One hertz
A tough, light yet flexible substance EGG CASE is equal to one cycle per second. MIGRATION
that makes up the skeleton of a shark The tough case that surrounds the The higher the frequency of cycles, The regular return journey that an
or ray instead of bone. fertilized egg of some sharks or rays. the higher-pitched the sound. animal makes every year to reach
It protects the developing shark until feeding or breeding grounds.
COLD-BLOODED it is ready to hatch. HYDROTHERMAL VENT
Describes an animal whose body A crack in the seabed that pours out MOLLUSK
temperature varies with that of ESTUARY superheated water that is full of An invertebrate animal that has a soft,
its environment. It controls its The mouth of a large river at the point minerals. Vents are often home to muscular body. Sometimes the body
temperature by moving to hotter where it meets the sea. The amount of unique colonies of animals that can is surrounded by a hard shell. Mollusks
or cooler areas as needed. salt in the water changes with the tide. survive in harsh conditions. include snails, clams, and sea slugs.

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