Pennsylvania Mammals and Birds Flashcards

Flashcards of key vocabulary and concepts from the Pennsylvania Mammals and Birds Lecture Notes.

Sciuridae

The squirrel family, which includes the Eastern Chipmunk.

Tamias

Means collector or keeper of provisions, referring to the chipmunk's behavior.

Striatus

Refers to the prominent body stripes of the Eastern Chipmunk.

Estivation

A mid-summer rest period for chipmunks to cool off underground in hot weather.

Norway Rat

A common rat (Rattus norvegicus) found throughout North America, known for adapting to human settlements and potentially spreading diseases.

Bubonic plague

A disease spread by fleas that lived on rats.

Allegheny Woodrat

A wild rat (Neotoma magister) living in remote rocky habitats in Pennsylvania, considered an endangered species.

Norway rat

Spreads disease and damages property.

Allegheny Woodrat

Endangered species that is a “packrat”.

Mast

Crucial part of a squirrel’s diet. The amount of acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts and beechnuts produced by mature trees each fall is a key factor in that year’s squirrel population.

Gray squirrel

Pennsylvania’s most plentiful squirrels.

Red Squirrel

Smaller squirrel the size of a gray that nests in the cavities at the base of the tree.

Fox Squirrels

The largest squirrels in Pennsylvania and are considered uncommon.

Flying Squirrels

Our smallest and only nocturnal squirrel.

Patagia

Furry skin membranes that help the flying squirrels to glide.

Porcupine

Slow-moving rodents that love tree bark and salt.

Quills

Modified hairs that are composed of many, many air cells, found on porcupines.

Ursus americanus

The black bear’s scientific name; it means “American bear.”

Boars

Male black bears.

Sows

Female black bears.

Cubs

Young black bears.

Black Bear

Do not fully hibernate like a groundhog, but they are usually dormant throughout the winter.

Plantigrade

Bears walk with the entire foot, including the heel, touching the ground.

Torpor

A deep sleep in bears due to lower temperatures.

Coyote

Wild canines (wild dogs) that have large canine teeth and are considered carnivores (meat eaters).

Keystone Species

Wolves are considered a keystone species, meaning they support a wide variety of other animals and have helped shaped the behavior of other animals within their ecosystems.

Dog

Male foxes.

Vixens

Female foxes.

Red foxes

Prefers sparsely settled, rolling farm areas with some woodlands, marshes and streams.

Gray fox

More commonly found in denser woods, swampy lands and rugged, mountainous terrain.

Elk

Really big relatives of our white-tailed deer.

Anthropomorphism

When you attribute human characteristics to animals.

Browse Line

The browse line means the highest level into the forest canopy the deer can reach.

Ruminants

Deer have a four-chambered stomach, similar to a cow. This allows them to get nutrients from “complex” foods like woody plants.

Mast

Deer eat a lot of mast and change their diet with the seasons.

Ungulates

Mammals that walk on hooves.

Tine

A buck with a lot of tines on its antlers is probably very healthy and lives in a good habitat. Each point on a rack is called a tine.

Gallinaceous Birds

A group of ground-living birds, like pheasants, turkeys, grouse and quail, that are chicken-like and share certain physical characteristics.

Toms

Adult make turkeys.

Hens

Female Gallinaceous Birds.

Mesofiloplumes

Toms also sport rough, black “beards,” growing from the upper breast. These hair-like feathers are called mesofiloplumes.

Precocial birds

The young precocial birds (Gallinaceous Birds) are called poults and follow the hen as soon as they dry, surviving by scattering or “freezing”

Strigiformes

Owls.

Tytonidae

Barn owls family.

Strigidae

All owl families except barn owls.

Key Stone Species

Pileated woodpeckers.

Corvidae

Crows, Ravens & Jays.