A candidate species is one that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service may list in the near future as endangered or threatened. The Ozark hellbender is a candidate for listing as endangered or threatened because some streams where it lives are polluted.  Polluted water harms other plants and animals, too. U.S. Forest Service photo   Dam:  an outdoor barrier that is built to control the flow of water. A dam can reduce the amount water flowing downstream.   Digests:  changes food into energy, as in “we digest our lunch.”  The green pitcher plant digests insects, food that allows it to grow.

Environment:  surroundings that include soil, water, climate, and living things.  A healthy environment helps all living things.

The passenger pigeon, photo courtesy of the University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology

Extinction—The complete disappearance of a species from the earth; no longer existing. The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to prevent plants and animals from becoming victims of extinction—that is, to make sure that they don’t disappear the way passenger pigeons have.   An endangered species is in danger of extinction.    Scientists think that American burying beetles are endangered because people have built houses, stores, and offices on the land where the beetles used to live and because chemicals that are used to kill bugs have killed the beetles. American burying beetle photo by USFWS

Filters: holds onto little things but allows water to pass through.  In filtering water, a mussel inhales water and then acts as a strainer, holding onto little creatures or bits of plants as food before releasing the water.  
See the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Web site:
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/anglerboater/2007/02marapr/play2healthy.pdf

Free-flowing Stream:  water that moves, without being controlled by
structures like dams.  Clean, free-flowing streams are important to
many species of fish and wildlife. 

Fringes:   hanging threads or strips.  In the case of the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, the fringes are strips of skin on its feet that help it move through sand.

Graze:  to eat growing grass or other plants.  Cattle and bison graze on plants.

Habitat:  the place where plants or animals live.  Good habitat provides food and shelter.

Intense:   extreme.  “Intense desert heat” means extreme heat—that is, it’s very hot in the desert.

Particles: very small pieces.  Mussels filter particles from water that they take in through a siphon—a little tube— and across their gills.

Patches:   spots of color.  The spectacled eider has white patches around its eyes.

 

Pollinates: moves pollen from one flower to another.  Pollen is material
that allows flowers to make seeds.  Since plants can’t move,
they need pollinators such as insects, bats, birds, and wind to move pollen
and help them make more plants.

Predators:  animals that hunt for other animals as food.
Hawks and owls are predators, hunting for small animals such as mice.

Region: an area.  The Ozark Mountains are in the southeast region of the country.

Reptiles:  cold-blooded, air-breathing animals such as snakes,
lizards, turtles, and alligators.  Many reptiles lay eggs and have skin covered with scales.




 

Saguaro Cactus:  known for its “arms,” this tall cactus lives in the desert
in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. 
The saguaro provides food for bats that eat its fruit and nectar—
and homes to birds that build their nests in it.

Salamander:   an amphibian that looks like a lizard and has smooth, moist skin. The Black Warrior waterdog is actually a salamander!

	Scales:  stiff, flat plates that form an outer body covering of an animal.  The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard has scales that protect its ears and nose from sand. Fringes:   hanging threads or strips.  In the case of the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, the fringes are strips of skin on its feet that help it move through sand.
Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard photo by Gary Nafis
Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard photo by Gary Nafis

Sharp-Edged Hump:  a bulge or lump that ends in a point.  The razorback sucker is named for a sharp-edged hump on its back that is sharp, like a razor.

	Spectacled:   having markings that look like eyeglasses.  The spectacled eider looks as though it’s wearing a pair of glasses.
The spectacled eider looks as though it’s wearing a pair of glasses.
	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo

Streams:     bodies of running water, such as creeks or brooks. Streams run into the Black Warrior River. 

A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the near future.

Not yet in danger of extinction, spectacled eiders are a threatened species for a few reasons. One is that they accidentally swallow lead shotgun pellets, mistaking them for gravel.  Many bird species eat gravel to help them digest food.  We know that lead makes people sick.  It makes animals sick, too.  Lead shot for hunting ducks, geese, and eiders has been banned since the 1980’s.   Spectacled eiders are also threatened because Arctic foxes eat eider eggs and because some people hunt the birds illegally. 

A shotgun shell that has lead shot inside.  USFWS photo	These tiny balls are called “lead shot.”  USGS photo

	Water Pollution: chemicals, germs, or other things that make water unhealthy.  Water pollution is a threat to plants and animals that depend on clean water.
Wetlands:  areas such as marshes or swamps that tend to be wet or flooded.  In California, the eggs of tiny longhorn fairy shrimp depend on winter rains to create the wetlands they need to hatch.

With thanks to Merriam-Webster on-line:
http://aolsvc.merriam-webster.aol.com/wordcentral-aol.htm