Page 207 - (DK) Super Shark Encyclopedia: And Other Creatures of the Deep

MOLT REEF SUBMERSIBLE WARM-BLOODED
The process of shedding an outer A ridge of jagged coral, rock, or sand A small underwater craft designed Describes an animal that is able to
layer of skin or an external shell so lying just above or below the surface for research and exploration. keep its body temperature constant
that an animal can grow. This occurs of the sea. regardless of the temperature of its
at certain times of the year or at SUNLIGHT ZONE surroundings. All marine mammals
particular points in the animal’s REPTILE The uppermost layer of the ocean, and some sharks are warm-blooded.
life cycle. A cold-blooded vertebrate with scaly, which is bathed with sunlight during
waterproof skin, such as a marine the day. In clear water it can extend WATER PRESSURE
MOUTHBROODER iguana or a sea snake. down as far as 655 ft (200 m); in The weight of the water pressing
Species of fish in which one of the murky water as little as 50 ft (15 m). down on an animal as it goes deeper
parents holds the developing eggs SALINITY Most fish live in this zone. into the ocean. At the bottom of
in its mouth until they hatch. During The amount of salt dissolved in water. the deepest trench it is as much as
this time the adult cannot feed. Seawater has 35 g of salt for every TENTACLE 8 tons per square inch (1 tonne per
liter of water. Fresh water is usually Thin, flexible limb mainly used for square cm).
NOCTURNAL less than 0.5 g of salt per liter. grasping and feeding. Some carry sense
Describes an animal that is active organs for touch, taste, smell, or VENOM
at night and sleeps during the day. SCAVENGER vision. Others may be equipped with A poison, or toxin, produced by
An animal that feeds on dead plants suckers, stingers, hooks, or even teeth. an animal that is used in hunting
NUTRIENT or animals. or self-defense. It is injected into
A substance that provides vital TIDE another animal through a bite
nourishment needed for the growth SCHOOL OR SHOAL The twice-daily rise and fall in sea or sting.
and maintenance of life. A large number of fish that swim level that is caused by the pull of the
together. Sun and Moon. VERTEBRATE
OCEAN TRENCH An animal that has a backbone or
A very deep canyon in the ocean floor. SENSORY PORE TOXIC spinal column made up of individual
The temperature is barely above Part of a network of jelly-filled Describes a substance that is bones or pieces of cartilage called
freezing and the water pressure is pockets on the skin of sharks and poisonous. The bite or sting of an vertebrae. (Single is vertebra.)
crushing. Few animals can survive here. other electroreceptive fish. These animal may have a toxic effect on
pores help fish detect electric fields. another animal. VERTICAL MIGRATION
PARASITE A pattern of movement of animals
An organism that lives on or inside SKELETON TWILIGHT ZONE (and plankton) between deep and
another animal to gain food or shelter. A framework of bone or cartilage The region immediately below the shallow waters. This may happen
It is usually harmful to its host. that supports the body of an animal sunlight zone, from 655 to 3,300 ft daily or be seasonal. It also occurs
and provides attachment points (200–1,000 m). Very little light reaches in animals that spend different stages
PECTORAL FINS for muscles. this level and plants cannot grow. of their lives at different depths.
A pair of fins that lie either side of
a fish’s head that help control its SKIN PIGMENT
direction of movement. Color found in the skin of an animal.
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK

PITCH SLIME
The high or low quality of a sound. A soft and slippery substance that is / per—for example, km/h means kilometers per hour
produced by the skin of an animal. It °C degrees Celsius
PLANKTON helps fish swim more easily, but also cal calories
Tiny animals and algae that drift protects them against parasites and cm centimeter
or float in the sea and other water infections. Some slimes are poisonous dB decibel
bodies. They provide food for to predators. °F degrees Fahrenheit
larger animals. fl oz fluid ounce
SPAWN ft foot
PREDATOR The eggs of a fish, amphibian, or g gram
An animal that hunts and kills other invertebrate. Spawning is the laying Hz hertz—see glossary for definition
animals (its prey) for food. of the eggs. in inch
kg kilogram
PREY SPECIES km kilometer
An animal that is killed and eaten A group of animals that look like one lb pound
by a predator. another and can reproduce with each m meter
other—animals cannot reproduce min minute
PROPULSION with members of another species. ml milliliter
The action of moving forward. mm millimeter
STINGER mph miles per hour
RAKER A weapon used by some animals in oz ounce GLOSSARY
A structure in a filter-feeding fish that self-defense or to capture prey by s or sec second
scrapes food particles off the gills and injecting a poison through a hollow sq square
diverts them to the food pipe. spine or harpoon.

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