English Vocabulary in Use: Advanced Book with Answers and Enhanced eBook Vocabulary Reference and Practice 3rd Edition

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English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
The animal kingdom
32
Describing animals and birds
mammal: animal that gives birth to live babies, not eggs, 
and feeds them on its own milk (e.g. cat, cow, kangaroo); a 
kangaroo is a special kind of mammal called a 
marsupial 
[its 
young grow in a 
pouch
in front of the mother]
rodent: e.g. mouse, rat reptile: e.g. snake, lizard
carnivore: animal that eats a diet that is mainly or exclusively 
meat (e.g. lion, tiger, hyena)
herbivore: animal that eats a diet that is mainly or exclusively grass/vegetation (e.g. deer, cow)
predator: animal that hunts/eats other animals (e.g. eagle, lion, shark)
scavenger: animal that feeds on dead animals which it has not killed itself
warm/cold-blooded: warm-blooded animals (e.g. mammals) have temperatures that stay the same; 
cold-blooded animals (e.g. reptiles) have to control their temperature by taking in heat from outside 
or by being very active
Describing typical animal behaviour
Our old cat is a very 
docile creature. 
[behaves very gently]
These birds are so 
tame, they will sit on your hand. 
[not afraid of humans, usually because of training or 
long involvement with humans]
Dogs and horses became 
domesticated thousands of years ago. 
[live with or are used by humans] 
There are 
wild cats in the mountains. 
[opposite of domesticated]
A 
savage wolf killed three of the farmer’s sheep. 
[extremely violent or wild]
A 
fierce dog guarded the gates. 
[behaves aggressively]
Life of animals and birds
As more buildings and roads are constructed, the 
natural habitat for many species is shrinking. 
[preferred natural place for living and breeding]
The arctic tern is a bird which