Animal behaviour

Animal behaviour

Amble

(of an elephant) to walk slowly:

• The baby elephant was ambling through the bush.

Bark

 (of a dog) to make a short harsh noise: 

• Barking dog doesn’t bite.

Bite

to cut into with the teeth or to make a small hole in the skin:

• I have been bitten by a dog.

Bristle

to raise the fur on the body:

• Cats bristle the fur when they are afraid.

Buck

(of a horse) to kick off with the hind legs:

• A horse may buck due to fear.

Cast

(of a snake) to slide out of the outer layer of old skin:

• Young snakes cast their skins every two weeks.

Claw

to use claw or nails to scratch:

• The cat clawed my neck.

Coil up (S)

(of a snake) to wrap into a series of circles:

• The snake coiled up and vibrated its tail.

Dive 

(of a bird) to go down quickly and suddenly while flying:

•  The swallows soar then dive.

Flutter

1. to fly lightly and quickly:

• The butterflies flutter from flower to flower in my garden. 

2. to move wings quickly up and down without flying:

• The bird fluttered its wing in the cage.

Frisk

(of a young animal) to move and jump in a playful way:

• The lambs frisk in the field.

Gallop

(of a horse) to run very fast:

• The horse was galloping at its fastest speed.

Glide 

(of a bird) to fly smoothly without moving wings:

• We watched the gulls gliding above the cliffs.

Gore

to attack and injure someone with horns:

• Bulls gored 5 five people to death during the festival.

Growl

(of a dog) to make a low threatening sound as a warning:

• My dog growls when a stranger approaches the house.

Hibernate

to spend wintertime sleeping:

• The ground squirrel hibernates in the winter.

Hiss

to produce a long ‘s’ sound:

• Snakes hiss to defend themselves.  

Infest

(of insects or pests) to exist in large numbers:

• The basement was infested with rats.

Lap

to drink with the tongue

• Cats lap milk without splashing.

Maul

to attack violently with claws and teeth, usually causing physical wounds:

• The child had been mauled by a pit bull dog.

Migrate

to travel to warmer places:

• Swallows migrate to Africa in winter.

Moult

(US Molt) to renew feather, hair or skin:

• Some insects moult 60 times in their lifespan.

Overwinter

to spend the winter season in a place; to remain alive during the winter:

• Many insects overwinter in the houses.

Paw

to touch many times with a paw:

• Pawing is a way for dogs to get attention.

Prance

(of a horse) to move with high, quick steps in a particular direction:

• The horses prance along the fence.

Preen

to clean and groom its feathers with its beak:

• Some birds preen themselves in order to attract a mate.

Rear

(of a horse) to rise up on the hind legs with the forelegs in the air:

• They trained the horse to rear.

Scent

to find or track something by using sensitive nose:

• The hound scented a rabbit.

Slough

to remove a layer of old skin:

• Young snakes slough their skins every two weeks.

Swoop

(of a bird) to fly downwards suddenly in order to snatch something without landing:

• The eagle swooped on its prey.

Soar

to rise high in the sky while flying:

• The swallows soar then dive.

See also:
Animal homes