Animal Info - Glossary L

Lactation: Lactation refers to the secretion and yielding of milk by females after giving birth.
Lateritic: Lateritic soils are comprised of a wide variety of red, brown, and yellow soils. They are characterized by the presence of iron and aluminum oxides or hydroxides, particularly those of iron, which give the colors to the soils.
Lead: 1) An area of open water within the Arctic ice pack that is caused by shifting of the ice pack; 2) any fracture or passage-way through sea ice that is navigable by surface vessels.
Leeward Islands: The Leeward Islands include the Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. They're called the Leeward Islands because they are away from the wind ("lee"). The Leeward Islands are part of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea.
Legume: A plant of the family Leguminosae (Fabaceae), which has a pod containing dry seeds, as well as nodules on the roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The family includes herbs, shrubs and trees such as peas, beans, lentils, clover, and alfalfa.
Leguminous: Relating to or consisting of plants that are legumes.
Liana: A climbing plant.
Lichen: A lichen is a symbiotic association of a specific fungus and a specific alga that is so integrated functionally and morphologically that a third kind of organism is formed which resembles neither of its components. Lichens are usually classified as single "species" even though they are composed of two unrelated species. They grow on a solid surface such as rock or bark.
Lineage: A group of individuals or species whose descent can be traced back to a common ancestor.
Llano: Semi-arid savanna found in South America.
Lobtailing: Slapping the water repeatedly with the flukes.
Locomotion: The act or power of moving from place to place.
Loess: An unstratified, usually buff to yellowish brown, loamy deposit found in North America, Europe, and Asia and believed to be chiefly deposited by the wind (Merriam-Webster Online).
Longitudinal: Extending lengthwise.
Lowveld: See "Veld".

Last modified: June 3, 2006;