animal welfare: An idea that describes the quality of an animal’s life. Good animal welfare means that animals are safe, comfortable, healthy, well nourished, and can express their innate behaviors – things they are born knowing how to do.
behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself.
biology: The study of living things. The scientists who study them are known as biologists.
breed: (noun) Animals within the same species that are so genetically similar that they produce reliable and characteristic traits. German shepherds and dachshunds, for instance, are examples of dog breeds. (verb) To produce offspring through reproduction.
canine: Members of the biological family of canids. These are carnivores and omnivores. The family includes dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals and coyotes. (in anatomy) The pointed tooth in a mammal that separates its incisors from its premolars. These canine teeth tend to be especially long in carnivores.
cognition: The mental processes of thought, remembering, learning information and interpreting those data that the senses send to the brain.
domestication: A process of producing a tame version of an animal from a wild one, which can take thousands of years. A domesticated animal is one that has been bred in captivity.
evolutionary biologist: Someone who studies the adaptive processes that have led to the diversity of life on Earth. These scientists can study many different subjects, including the microbiology and genetics of living organisms, how species change to adapt, and the fossil record (to assess how various ancient species are related to each other and to modern-day relatives).
gene: (adj. genetic) A segment of DNA that codes, or holds instructions, for a cell’s production of a protein. Offspring inherit genes from their parents. Genes influence how an organism looks and behaves.
hypothesis: (v. hypothesize) A proposed explanation for a phenomenon. In science, a hypothesis is an idea that must be rigorously tested before it is accepted or rejected.
locomotion: The ability to move from place to place.
physical: (adj.) A term for things that exist in the real world, as opposed to in memories or the imagination. It can also refer to properties of materials that are due to their size and non-chemical interactions (such as when one block slams with force into another). (in biology and medicine) The term can refer to the body, as in a physical exam or physical activity.
psycholinguistics: A field of research that looks into links between language and how the mind works, including its ability to learn language. People who work in this field are known as psycholinguists.
species: A group of similar organisms capable of producing offspring that can survive and reproduce.
trait: A characteristic feature of something. (in genetics) A quality or characteristic that can be inherited.