Group 4: Behaviour, Habitat, and Protection#

Theme: People can protect animals by understanding their habits and caring for their homes.

keeper /ˈkiːpə/ noun

1. A keeper is someone who looks after animals, especially in a zoo.
2. A keeper is a person who is responsible for looking after or guarding a place or building.

shepherd /ˈʃepəd/ noun

1. A shepherd is a person whose job is to look after sheep.

subsistence /səbˈsɪstəns/ noun

1. Subsistence is the state of having just enough money, food, or other necessities to stay alive, but no more.

exist /ɪɡˈzɪst/ verb

1. If something exists, it is present in the real world as an actual thing rather than being imaginary.
2. If someone exists on a small amount of money, food, or other necessities, they manage to stay alive with only that amount.

habitat /ˈhæbɪtæt/ noun

1. The habitat of an animal or plant is the natural environment in which it normally lives or grows.

epidemic /ˌepɪˈdemɪk/ noun adjective

1. An epidemic is a large number of cases of an infectious disease that occur at the same time in a community.
2. If a problem is epidemic, it occurs or spreads very widely and quickly.

virus /ˈvaɪərəs/ noun

1. A virus is a very small living thing that can enter the body and cause disease.

bacteria /bækˈtɪəriə/ noun

1. Bacteria are very small organisms, some of which can cause disease.

germ /dʒɜːm/ noun

1. A germ is a very small organism, especially a bacteria or virus, that can cause disease.

microbe /ˈmaɪkrəʊb/ noun

1. A microbe is a microscopic organism, especially one that causes disease.

victim /ˈvɪktɪm/ noun

1. A victim is someone who has been hurt, damaged, or killed because of the actions of someone else, or as a result of an illness or bad luck.

undergo /ˌʌndəˈɡəʊ/ verb

1. If you undergo something necessary or unpleasant, you experience it or it happens to you.

dormant /ˈdɔːmənt/ adjective

1. Something that is dormant is not active, growing, or developing now, but is capable of becoming active again in the future.

hibernation /ˌhaɪbəˈneɪʃn/ noun

1. Hibernation is a state like deep sleep in which some animals spend the winter.

bark /bɑːk/ verb noun

1. When a dog barks, it makes a short, loud, sharp sound.
2. Bark is the tough outer covering of a tree trunk and branches.

roar /rɔː/ verb noun

1. If an animal such as a lion roars, it makes a very loud, deep sound, and if a person roars, they shout in this way.
2. A roar is a very loud, deep sound made by an animal, person, engine, or crowd.

behaviour /bɪˈheɪvjə/ noun

1. Your behaviour is the way that you behave or conduct yourself.
2. The behaviour of people or animals is the way that they act or react in particular situations.

crawl /krɔːl/ verb

1. When you crawl, you move forward on your hands and knees.
2. If you crawl to someone, you try to please them in an unpleasant and dishonest way so that they will like you or help you.

creep /kriːp/ verb

1. If you creep somewhere, you move very quietly and slowly so that nobody will notice you.
2. When an animal or insect creeps, it moves along close to the ground.

nest /nest/ noun

1. A nest is a home built by birds or certain animals to lay eggs in and raise their young.

hive /haɪv/ noun verb

1. A hive is a structure in which bees live, or a place that is full of busy activity.
2. If bees hive, they live together in a hive, and to hive bees means to put them into a hive.

cell /sel/ noun

1. A cell is the smallest basic unit of a plant or animal that can live independently.
2. A cell is a small room in a prison or monastery, or one of the small compartments in a honeycomb.

track /træk/ verb noun

1. If you track an animal or person, you follow their movements by looking for marks they have left behind.
2. Tracks are marks left on the ground by a person, animal, or vehicle.

trace /treɪs/ verb noun

1. If you trace someone or something, you find them after looking for them for a long time.
2. A trace of something is a very small amount of it.

optical /ˈɒptɪkl/ adjective

1. Optical means relating to the sense of sight or the relationship between light and sight.

acoustic /əˈkuːstɪk/ adjective

1. Acoustic means relating to sound or to the sense of hearing.

nocturnal /nɒkˈtɜːnl/ adjective

1. Nocturnal animals are active at night rather than during the day.

intelligence /ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns/ noun

1. Intelligence is the ability to learn, understand, and make judgments based on reason.
2. Intelligence is information that is gathered about the secret activities of an enemy or competitor.

intuitive /ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/ adjective

1. If you have an intuitive feeling, you base it on your instincts rather than on facts or proof.

potential /pəˈtenʃl/ noun adjective

1. If you say that someone or something has potential, you mean that they have the ability to develop into something successful in the future.
2. You use potential to describe something that may happen or become real in the future.

flexible /ˈfleksəbl/ adjective

1. A flexible object or material can be bent easily without breaking.
2. Something that is flexible can change or be changed easily to suit any new situation.

sensitive /ˈsensətɪv/ adjective

1. If someone is sensitive, they are easily worried, upset, or offended.
2. A sensitive piece of equipment is capable of measuring or detecting very small changes.

predator /ˈpredətə/ noun

1. A predator is an animal that kills and eats other animals.

prey /preɪ/ noun verb

1. A creature’s prey is the animals that it hunts and eats.
2. If an animal preys on another creature, it catches and eats that creature.

vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbl/ adjective

1. Someone who is vulnerable is weak and without protection, with the result that they can easily be hurt physically or emotionally.

exterminate /ɪkˈstɜːmɪneɪt/ verb

1. To exterminate a group of people or animals means to kill all of them.

hedge /hedʒ/ noun

1. A hedge is a line of bushes or small trees planted close together along the edge of a garden, field, or road.
2. A hedge is a measure or barrier used to protect oneself against financial loss or difficulty.

barrier /ˈbæriə/ noun

1. A barrier is a physical object such as a fence or gate that prevents people or vehicles from moving forward.
2. A barrier is a problem, rule, or situation that prevents progress or makes it difficult for people to communicate or work together.

bar /bɑː/ noun

1. A bar is a long, straight piece of metal or wood, often used as a railing or barrier.
2. A bar of soap or chocolate is a solid rectangular block of it.

stable /ˈsteɪbl/ noun adjective

1. A stable is a building where horses or other animals are kept and fed.
2. If something is stable, it is not likely to change, move, or fall down suddenly.

barn /bɑːn/ noun

1. A barn is a large farm building used for storing grain, hay, or other crops, or for housing animals.

captive /ˈkæptɪv/ noun adjective

1. A captive is a person or animal that is kept as a prisoner or is confined.
2. A captive person or animal is kept somewhere and not allowed to leave.

cage /keɪdʒ/ noun

1. A cage is a structure of wire or metal bars in which animals or birds are kept.

functional /ˈfʌŋkʃənl/ adjective

1. Functional things are useful and practical rather than decorative.
2. If something is functional, it is working or able to work normally.

instinct /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/ noun

1. Instinct is the natural tendency that a person or animal has to behave or react in a particular way.
2. An instinct is a feeling that you have that something is true, even though you have no evidence.

defensive /dɪˈfensɪv/ adjective

1. Defensive actions or weapons are used for protecting someone or something against attack.
2. If you are defensive, you seem worried that other people are criticizing you or thinking badly of you.

bite /baɪt/ verb noun

1. If you bite something, you use your teeth to cut into it or press down on it.
2. A bite is a wound or mark made by an animal’s teeth or an insect’s mouthparts, or the act of taking a piece of food in your mouth.

sting /stɪŋ/ verb noun

1. If an insect or animal stings you, it hurts you by pushing a sharp, poisonous point into your skin.
2. A sting is the sharp wound or pain caused by an insect or animal stinging you, or the sharp organ with which it does this.

tame /teɪm/ adjective verb

1. A tame animal is not wild and is not afraid of people.
2. If you tame a wild animal, you train it not to be afraid of people and to live with them.

rub /rʌb/ verb noun

1. If you rub something, you move your hand or an object backwards and forwards over its surface while pressing firmly.
2. A rub is an act of rubbing something, or a particular difficulty or problem in a situation.

suffer /ˈsʌfə/ verb

1. If you suffer, you feel a lot of physical pain or mental pain.
2. If something suffers, it becomes worse in quality or less successful, often because something else is causing problems.

alternate /ˈɔːltəneɪt/ verb

1. If two things alternate, they happen one after the other in a regular pattern.