See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/240591400

Zoolexicon. Compiled by Warren Garst

Article  in  Integrative and Comparative Biology · May 2007

DOI: 10.1093/icb/icm012

CITATIONS READS
0 60

1 author:

Harold Heatwole
North Carolina State University
215 PUBLICATIONS   4,204 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Sea snakes View project

Herpetology View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Harold Heatwole on 06 February 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

166
they are related to one another. The coverage is very
broad, including descriptions of the jaw of an
enigmatic early amphibian, partial skeletons of
dinosaurs, the skull of an ancestral mammal-like
reptile, the postcranial skeleton of a tritylodontid
cynodont, and the phylogeny of armadillos. ‘Large-
Scale Evolutionary Patterns,’ for which vertebrates
provide the most dramatic records, are exemplified
by the general phenomenon of size increase
achieved by most dinosaur lineages, the elongation
of the neck in sauropods, and changes in the
basicranium and ear region of early mammals.
‘Functional Morphology’ consists of studies of the
shoulder girdle and forelimb in multituberculates
and tooth orientation and condylar translation in
primates and ungulate mammals. The chapters in
‘Ontogeny and Evolution’ deal with neotenic aspects
of the basicranium of plesiosaurs, the possibility of
correlating the ontogeny of limb ossification of
cynodonts with the evolution of mammalian
endothermy, and differentiating ontogenetic changes
from phylogenetically significant characters in
Lystrosaurus.
Of particular interest are those chapters most
closely related to Jim’s own research on individual
episodes in the transition between primitive
synapsids and the appearance of therian mammals.
These include description of a new biarmosuchian
from South Africa, analysis of the taxonomic position
of Kayentatherium based on its postcranial skeleton,
evolution of parasaggittal posture among Mesozoic
Zoolexicon. Compiled by Warren Garst.
Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse. 2006. 628 pp. ISBN
1-4208-1525-3 (paperback) $28.90.
This book purports to be “a comprehensive reference
of animal terms and words across the English speaking
world.” Such an all-inclusive claim immediately
presented the challenge of finding a term the compiler
had overlooked. I took the challenge and searched
for the Australian word “bunyip.” It wasn’t in the
main glossary but my gloating was short-lived when I
found an entry for bunyips in Section B of
the appendix “Cryptozootic Animals.” (No, I’m not
going to tell you what a bunyip is, you have to buy the
book to find that out!) Although after arduous search,
I did succeed eventually in finding minor faults,
omissions were conspicuous by their rarity. The book
is, indeed, both comprehensive and inclusive. In fact,
it goes beyond its claim and includes terms and
Book Reviews
mammals, and changes in the braincase and hearing
of early mammals.
Part five consists of a short biography of
Dr Hopson that documents his long and continually
expanding research career in diverse areas of verte-
brate paleontology, concentrating on various aspects
of the relationships and functional anatomy of
mammal-like reptiles (nonmammalian synapsids),
the ancestry of mammals, and Mesozoic mammals.
Also cited are numerous studies of dinosaurs,
several focusing on the question of their mode
of thermoregulation, but also one each on pseudo-
toothed birds and an ostracoderm.
Overall, the contributions to this book underline
the great significance of Dr Hopson’s professional
career, not only in terms of his own research, but
especially the great number of undergraduates,
graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows he has
trained, and the significance of their continuing
research and training of future generations of
paleontologists and evolutionary biologists.
R. Carroll
Department of Biology and Redpath Museum
McGill University
E-mail: robert.carroll@mcgill.ca
Advance Access publication May 2, 2007
doi:10.1093/icb/icm001
common names from languages other than English.
The volume was obviously carefully checked and
proofed as my editorial eye discovered only one error,
and that in the preface where reference was made to
“taxonomy systems” rather than to “taxonomic
systems.”
One usually considers compilations as reference
material, and it is seldom that either telephone guides
or dictionaries are used for pleasure reading. The
Zoolexicon is an exception, and I found myself
engrossed in reading page after page, particularly
those of the topical appendices at the end of
the book.
The main body of the book is an alphabetically
arranged glossary of terms relating to animals (there
were rare lapses of words in incorrect alphabetical
order). This glossary is exhaustive and its entries
from aardvark to zyzzva (I’m not going to tell you
what a zyzzyva is either) encompasses 351 pages.
 Book Reviews
A unique feature of this glossary is the inclusion,
under selected entries, of a box enclosing a more
detailed account. For example, following the defini-
tion of plumage there is a box comparing traditional
and modern terminology describing the various
seasonal plumages of passerine birds and waterfowl,
as well as definitions of various aberrant plumages, for
example, melanism.
I compared this glossary with my shelf of
dictionaries of biology and zoology and found it to
more extensive than most. It is, moreover, much more
than merely a comprehensive dictionary. In addition,
there are 275 pages of special appendices treating a
variety of topics. First there are appendices on various
domestic animals (asses, cats, cattle, guinea pigs, dogs,
falcons and hawks, goats, honeybees, horses, doves
and pigeons, pigs, poultry, rabbits and hares, and
sheep). These glossaries are of general terms relating
to the biology of the animals themselves as well as to
the industries, sports (e.g., falconry, hunting, racing,
rodeos), and breeders associations involving them.
Where appropriate, there is a separate listing of the
various breeds.
There is a listing, by Class, of other animals that
are not extensively domesticated but are, nevertheless,
tamed and used by humans to a certain extent in
animal husbandry, aquaculture, production of
leather, harvesting of venom, or use in biological
control. One important omission is the animals used
in research. One would have hoped for greater
recognition of organisms like the laboratory rat
and mouse, Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, and
Caenorhabditis elegans that have contributed so
much to scientific understanding and human
welfare and health. Also, no recognition is afforded
the burgeoning hobby of herpetoculture or to
other aspects of the trade in animals for pets.
Another minor disappointment was my failure to
find any allusion to the historic role played by
Cleopatra’s asp.
There is a listing of the various sounds animals
make. Most people are aware that cows moo, ducks
quack, dogs bark, lions roar, crows caw, and cats purr
and meow, but how many know that some animals
croodle, crunkle, or yang? Then there are lists of
names for the tails of animals (e.g., bun, scut, and
pompom just to stimulate your interest), lists of names
for footprints, for refuges, “beds,” terms describing
View publication stats
167
the flushing of animals, and finally lists of the words
for excrement (including slang and “four-letter”
words) and other bodily discharges and for mating
(here I did find an Australian/New Zealand term
missing) and giving birth. There is a rather extensive
glossary of terms relating to animal fur and a listing of
the names for hybrid animals. There is a fascinating
list of “zoanths,” terms using animal names to
characterize human attributes or behavior (e.g.,
beetlebrain, barfly, copycat).
More fancifully, there are sections on the role of
animals in heraldry, symbolism, and superstition,
including mythological creatures, cryptozootic ani-
mals, and hoaxes. The animals involved in the
constellations are listed. The Chinese 12-year calendar,
organized by type of animal, is explained, and the
years assigned to each animal listed. There is a list
of derivative words cross-listed as nouns and adjec-
tives (e.g., frog and toad cross-listed as anuran,
salientian, and batrachian), separately by Class of
animal. A similar cross-listing of trophic habits is
included, for example, formicivorous is cross-
listed with ants, and herbivorous with plants.
Nectarivory is an omission. Another derivative
cross-listing is by niches or habitat (e.g., aquatic for
living in water, and agaricolous for living in
mushrooms).
Another absorbing appendix lists collective nouns,
even the “exaltation of larks.” Almost everyone can
name a number of kinds of animals that occur in
colonies, herds, or flocks, but how many know what
kind of animals group into fesynes, or burdens, or
sedges?
The book ends with a listing, by chapter and verse,
of the animals of the Bible.
Not only is this book a reference work of value for
naturalists, biologists, animal breeders, veterinarians,
zoo keepers, and persons associated with sports
involving animals, but it is fascinating to read for
pleasure, and well worth the price.
Harold Heatwole
Department of Zoology, North Carolina State
University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617
E-mail: harold_heatwole@ncsu.edu
Advance Access publication May 2, 2007
doi:10.1093/icb/icm012