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The following glossary of terms is provided to help clarify some of the information in our
care sheets.
Albino – Genetic mutation that causes the lack color pigment usually seen with red eyes
Aquatic – Spending most of the time in fresh water
Basking Spot – Area of the enclosure kept warmer with the use of a heating element to
allow the animal to thermoregulate
Bridge – Area of the shell on turtles and tortoises that connects the carapace and plastron
Brumation – Period of cooling down a reptile to simulate natural seasons, helps to
stimulate breeding
C. B. – Abbreviation for Captive Bred
Captive Bred – Animal bred in captivity and not caught from the wild, generally healthier
and better adjusted to live in captivity, abbreviated C. B.
Carapace – Dorsal portion of the shell on a turtle or tortoise
Carnivore – Feeding exclusively on meat
Cold Blooded – Body temperature and metabolism is controlled by the external
temperature, see also Exothermic
Crepuscular – Active primarily during dawn and dusk hours of the day
Dechlorinate – To remove the chlorine from ordinary tap water by letting it sit out for
24-hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate naturally or by using commercially
available products
Diurnal – Active primarily during the day
Dorsal – Referring to the back or top of an animal, portion with the backbone, opposite
side of ventral
Endothermic – Body temperature and metabolism controlled internally and not
dependent upon the external temperature, see also warm blooded
Exothermic – Body temperature and metabolism is controlled by the external
temperature, see also Cold Blooded
Gut Loading – Process of feeding prey items good quality food to ensure proper nutrition
for the animal being fed the prey items
Heat Rock – Commercially available product that consists of a heating element
surrounded by rock; notoriously unreliable and often causes burns to the animals
it is used with; see also Hot Rock
Herbivore – Feeding exclusively on plant material
Herpetoculture – The science of keeping herpetofauna in captivity
Herpetofauna – Referring to both reptiles and amphibians
Herpetology – Study of reptiles and amphibians
Herptile – Inaccurate and incorrect slang term for reptiles and amphibians, see
herpetofauna
Hibernation – Often used inaccurately with regards to herpetofauna, see Brumation
Hopper – Juvenile mouse that is just starting to move around
Hot Rock – Commercially available product that consists of a heating element
surrounded by rock; notoriously unreliable and often causes burns to the animals
it is used with; see also Heat Rock
Insectivore – Specialized carnivore that feeds exclusively on insects
ISIS – International Species Information System, tracks taxonomic and breeding
information of all species, used extensively in zoos and aquariums
Leucistic – Genetic mutation that causes the lack of dark colored pigment to be present,
usually seen with blue eyes
Marine – Spending time mostly in salt water (i.e. ocean) surroundings
Melonistic – Genetic mutation that cause more dark pigment than normal to be present
Nocturnal – Active primarily during night
Omnivore – Feeding on both meat and plant material
Photoperiod – Period of light and dark to simulate the natural day and night cycle,
important for the health and well being of animals in captivity
Pinhead – Small sized crickets
Pinky – Baby new born mouse, is hairless and pink in color
Plastron – Ventral portion of the shell on turtles and tortoises
Salmonella – Bacteria that causes Salmonellosis, commonly found in poorly prepared
poultry and occasionally found on herpetofauna (usually thought of with turtles)
Salmonellosis – Bacterial infection caused by Salmonella that causes diarrhea, fever, and
abdominal cramps for 4 to 7 days
Semi-Aquatic – Spending time on both land and fresh water
Substrate – The material used as a floor or bedding for your animal
Taxonomy – The organization of all organisms into categories to better describe them
Temperature Gradient – Temperature range provided for herpetofauna to thermoregulate
Terrestrial – Spending time primarily on the land only
Thermocouple – Used to measure temperatures accurately, especially one consisting of
two dissimilar metals
Thermoregulate – Process in which the animal will move to warmer or cooler places to
regulate its body temperature and metabolism
UV – Ultraviolet light, usually not visible to the naked eye and described as three
different types
UVA – Visible to the naked eye, responsible for inducing normal behavior such as
feeding and mating; provides for mental well-being
UVB – Not visible to the naked eye, gives humans sun tans, allows for synthesis of
vitamin D3 which allows reptiles to process calcium to prevent bone disease
UVC – Not visible to the naked eye, used in sterilizers and kills bacteria, extremely
dangerous and can cause damage to DNA
Ventral – Referring to the bottom or belly area of an animal, opposite of dorsal
W. C. – Abbreviation for Wild Caught
Warm Blooded – Body temperature and metabolism controlled internally and not
dependent upon the external temperature, sell also endothermic
Wild Caught – Caught or trapped in the wild, generally carriers of parasites and more
prone to sickness due to stress of capture and shipping, abbreviated W. C.