Summary of Terminologies in Animal Science

Agriculture: It is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock. It includes
the preparation of plant and animal products for people to use and their distribution to markets.

Amino Acid: Any of a large number of compounds found in living cells that contain carbon, hydrogen, and
nitrogen and join together to form proteins. Twenty of the naturally occurring amino acids are the building
blocks of proteins, which they form by being connected to each other in chains. Eight of those twenty, called
essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in the cells of humans and must be consumed as part of the
diet.

Ammonia: Chemical formula NH3. A colorless alkaline gas that is lighter than air and has a strongly pungent
odor. It is used as a fertilizer and refrigerant, and in making dyes, textiles, plastics and explosives. Ammonium
ions are a toxic waste product of the metabolic process in animals. In mammals, ammonium ions are
converted into urea and excreted in urine.

Animal Protein: Protein derived from meat, eggs or dairy products.

Animal Welfare: Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of non-human animals.

Antibiotic: A substance, such as penicillin, that is capable of destroying or weakening certain

microorganisms, especially bacteria,that cause infections or infectious diseases. Antibiotics do not kill
viruses.

Artificial Insemination (AI): The introduction of semen into the vagina or uterus without sexual
reproduction.

Average Daily Feed Intake: The amount of feed consumed by an animal each day.

Average Daily Gain: The amount of weight gained by an animal during its growing stages.

Beef: The culinary name for meat from bovines (cattle). In parts of the United States, “beef” can also refer to
living cattle.

Biotechnology: The manipulation of a living organism used to improve the quality of human life.

Boar: An uncastrated male swine.

Bovid: Any of various hoofed, horned ruminant mammals of the family Bovidae, which includes cattle,
sheep, goats, buffaloes, bisons, antelopes and yaks.

Bovine: Relating to cows or cattle.

Breeding Stock: Sexually mature male and female livestock that are retained to produce offspring.

Bull: an uncastrated male bovine (cattle).

Calves: The young of domestic cattle. The term is used for cattle of either sex from birth to weaning. Meat
from a calf is called veal. Calf can also refer to young from animals
like camels, dolphins, elephants, giraffes and hippopotamuses.

Camelid: Any two-toed ruminant of the family Camelidae, including the camels, llamas and vicunas.

Caprine: Relating to goats

Carbohydrate: Any of a large class of organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Carbohydrates are produced in green plants by photosynthesis and serve as a major energy source in
animal diets. Sugars, starches, and cellulose are all carbohydrates.

Cecum: A large pouch forming the beginning of the large intestine. The appendix and the ileum of the small
intestine both connect to the cecum. In plant-eating mammals, the cecum is important because it houses
bacteria that aid in the breakdown of plant fibers.

Celsius: Relating to a temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is zero degrees and the
boiling point of water is 100 degrees under normal atmospheric pressure.

Cellulose: A carbohydrate that is the main component of the cell walls of most plants.

Cover crops: A temporary vegetative cover that is grown to provide protection for the soil and can also
provide extra profit for the farmer.

Cow: A fully grown female animal of a domesticated breed of bovine, used as a source of milk or beef.

Crossbreeding: The mating of animals of different breeds. For example, breeding a Hereford cow with an
Angus bull.

Crude Protein: An estimate for total protein content of feeds. A crude protein contains nitrogen from not
only protein but non-protein sources as well. Crude protein is used for energy and helps build tissue.

Cull: To select inferior animals from the herd for potential sale.

Cud: Food that has been partly digested and brought up from the rumen to the mouth for further chewing
by ruminants, such as cattle or sheep.

Digestive Tract: The series of organs in the digestive system through which food passes, nutrients are
absorbed, and waste is eliminated. In higher vertebrates, it consists of the esophagus, stomach, small and
large intestines, rectum and anus.

DNA: Short for deoxyribonucleic acid. The nucleic acid that is the genetic material determining the makeup
of all living cells and many viruses. It consists of two long strands of nucleotides linked together in a
structure resembling a ladder twisted into a spiral.

Duodenum: The beginning part of the small intestine, starting at the lower end of the stomach.

Dry Matter: Everything contained in a feed sample except water; this includes protein, fiber, fat, minerals,
etc. In practice, it is the total weight of feed minus the weight of water in the feed, expressed as a
percentage.

Dry Matter Intake: The amount of (or prediction of the amount of) dry matter consumed by an animal.

Egg: The reproductive cell of most organisms that reproduce sexually.

Embryo: An animal in its earliest stages of development, before all the major body structure are
represented. In humans, the embryonic stage lasts through the first eight weeks of pregnancy.

Embryo Transfer: The transfer into a recipient’s uterus of an egg that has been fertilized in vitro and is at
the blastula stage of development.

.
Erythrocyte: Any of the oval or disc-shaped cells that circulate in the blood of vertebrate animals, contain
hemoglobin, and give blood its red color. The hemoglobin in erythrocytes binds with oxygen for transport
and delivery to body tissues. Also called a red blood cell.

Estrous cycle: The series of changes that occur in the female of most mammals from one period of estrus
to another. The estrous cycle usually takes place during a period known as the breeding season, which
ensures that young are born at a time when the chance of survival is greatest.

Estrus: A regularly recurring period in female mammals during which the animal is sexually receptive.
Estrus occurs around the time of ovulation. Also called heat.

Estrus Synchronization: When multiple females in a group go into estrus around the same time. This can
be a natural occurrence caused by factors like seasonal changes or the presence of a male.

Ewe: A female sheep of any age.

Excreta: Substances produced by animals as waste after the metabolic process. Urine, fecal matter and
carbon dioxide are all excreta.

Exotic Species: A non-native plant or animal species introduced by humans, either deliberately or
accidentally.

External Parasites: Organisms, like fleas, ticks, scabies, lice and horse flies, that feed off host animals.
External parasites may feed off of a host’s blood, sweat, skin cells and even ocular fluid. External parasites
are a concern in the animal industry because of their tendency to carry diseases. Also called an
ectoparasite.

F
Farrowing: Giving birth to a litter of pigs.
Fats: Oily compounds found in plant and animal tissues. Fats serve mainly as a reserve source of energy.
Fat can also insulate organs from heat loss.

Feed: Animal foodstuffs. For example: corn can be an important ingredient in cattle feed. Sometimes
referred to as fodder.

Feed Efficiency: The measure of a unit of meat or milk produced per unit of dry matter consumed. Animals
with increased feed efficiency may gain more weight than animals with low efficiency, even if both animals
consume the same amount of feed.

Feeder Cattle: Cattle past the calf stage that have weight increased making them salable as feedlot
replacements.

Feedlot: A confinement facility where cattle are fed to produce beef for the commercial trade. May be
under a roof or outdoors.

Fertility: The natural capability to produce offspring. In animals, this refers to the female’s ability to produce
viable eggs or the male’s ability to produce viable sperm.

Fertilization: The process by which two gametes (reproductive cells each having half a set of
chromosomes) fuse to become a single cell called a zygote, which develops into a new organism. Among
many animals, like mammals, fertilization occurs inside the body of the female.

Forage: Herbaceous plants or plant parts fed to domestic animals

Frozen Semen: Semen collected from animals and stored at a temperature that preserves the cells.
Frozen semen is useful in artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and cloning.
G

Genetics: The scientific study of the principles of heredity and the variation of inherited traits among related
organisms

Genome: The total amount of genetic information in the chromosomes of an organism.

Gestation: The period of time spent in the uterus between conception and birth. Gestation in humans is
about nine months.

Gilt: Sexually mature female hog, prior to having her first litter.

Greenhouse Gas: An atmospheric gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared
radiation produced by solar warming of the Earth's surface.

Hatch : To emerge from or break out of an egg.

Heifer: A young female bovine that has never given birth.

Hereditary: Passed or capable of being passed from parent to offspring by means of genes.

Hog: 1. A hoofed mammal of the family Suidae, order Artiodactyla, comprising boars and swine. 2. A
domesticated swine weighing 120 pounds (54 kg) or more, raised for market.

Implantation: To become attached to and embedded in the maternal uterine lining. Used for a fertilized egg.

Inbreeding: The breeding or mating of related individuals within an isolated or closed group of organisms
or people. Inbreeding can something results in a loss of vigor or health in offspring. However, In agriculture
and animal husbandry, the continued breeding of closely related individuals can help to preserve desirable
traits in a stock.

Incubation: The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a
nest. 2. The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and
development. 3. The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation
period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide
optimal conditions for growth and development. 4. The development of an infection from the time the
pathogen enters the body until symptoms first appear.

Intramuscular: Within a muscle.

Intramuscular fat: Fat located throughout skeletal muscle. It is responsible for the marbling seen in certain
cuts of beef. In humans, excess accumulation of intramuscular fat is associated with insulin
resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Internal Parasites: Organisms that live inside their hosts and rob their hosts of food or blood. Internal
parasites include hookworms, tapeworms, coccidia and blood parasites. Also called an endoparasite.

Invertebrate: 1. An animal that has no backbone or spinal column. Most animals are invertebrates. Corals,
insects, worms, jellyfish, starfish and snail are invertebrates.

Ionaphore: A lipid-soluble molecule usually synthesized by microorganisms to transport ions across the

Kidney: Either of a pair of organs that are located in the rear of the abdominal cavity in vertebrates. The
kidneys regulate fluid balance in the body in the form of urine.
L

Lactation: The time between calving that a cow produces milk, usually 10 months.

Lamb: A young sheep, less than one year old.

Litter: 1. Material used as bedding for animals. 2. Material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals.
3. The uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor. 4. The offspring at one birth of
a multiparous animal. Example: A litter of puppies.

Manure: Organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil
by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil. Higher
organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web. It is also a
product obtained after decomposition of organic matter like cow-dung which replenishes the soil with
essential elements and adds humus to the soil.

Mastitis: An infection and inflammation of the udder in cows.

Mineral: 1. A naturally occurring solid, inorganic element or compound having a uniform composition and a
regularly repeating internal structure. Rocks are made up of minerals. Many minerals have commercial
value, such as iron ore, coal or petroleum. In animals, minerals like iron can be necessary nutrients.

Monogastric: An animal with a stomach consisting of one compartment for digestion. Includes humans
and pigs.

Multiparous: 1. Having given birth two or more times. 2. Giving birth to more than one offspring at a time.

Mutton: Meat from sheep that are over one year old.

Neonatal: Relating to newborn animals

Nitrogen: A nonmetallic element that makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume, occurring as
a colorless, odorless gas. It is a component of all proteins, making it essential for life, and it is also found in
various minerals. Nitrogen is used to make ammonia, nitric acid, TNT and fertilizers. Symbol N.

Non-Protein Nitrogen: A term used in animal nutrition to refer collectively to components such as urea,
biuret and ammonia, which are not proteins but can be converted into proteins by microbes in the ruminant
stomach.

Nutrient: A substance that provides nourishment for growth or metabolism. Plants absorb nutrients mainly
from the soil in the form of minerals and other inorganic compounds. Animals mainly obtain nutrients from
ingested food.

Nutrition: The process by which living organisms obtain food and use it for growth, metabolism and repair.

Omasum: The third division of the stomach in ruminant animals. It removes excess water from food and
further reduces the size of food particles before passing them to the abomasums for digestion by enzymes.

Oogenesis: The formation, development, and maturation of an ovum or egg cell.

Organic: 1. Involving organisms or the products of their life processes. 2. Relating to chemical compounds
containing carbon.

Ovine: Relating to sheep.

Ovulation: The release if an egg cell (ovum) from the ovary in female animals, regulated in mammals by
hormones produced in the pituitary glands during the menstrual cycle.

Parasite: An organism that lives on or in a different kind of organism (the host) from which it gets some or
all of its nourishment. Parasites are generally harmful to their hosts, although the damage they do ranges
from minor inconvenience to debilitating or fatal disease.

Parturition: The action or process of giving birth to offspring. In cows, parturition is called calving, and in
pigs parturition is called farrowing.

Pasture: A fenced area of forage, usually improved, on which animals are grazed.

Pathogen: An agent that causes infection or disease, especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or a
virus.

Phosphorus: A highly reactive, poisonous nonmetallic element occurring naturally in phosphates,

especially in the mineral apatite. It exists in white (or sometimes yellow), red, and black forms, and it an
essential component of protoplasm.

Photoperiod: The duration of an organism’s daily exposure to light.

Phytate: The salt form of phytic acid, the principle storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues.
Phosphorus and inositol in phytate form are not, in general, bioavailable to nonruminant animals because
these animals lack the digestive enzyme phytase required to remove phosphate from the inositol in the
phytate molecule. On the other hand, ruminants readily digest phytate because of the phytase produced by
rumen microorganisms.

Phytase: any type of phosphatase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of phytic acid (myo-inositol
hexakisphosphate) and releases a usable form of inorganic phosphorus. While phytases have been found
to occur in animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, phytases have been most commonly detected and
characterized from fungi.

Placenta: The sac-shaped organ that attaches the embryo or fetus to the uterus during pregnancy in most
mammals. Blood flows between mother and fetus through the placenta, supplying oxygen and nutrients to
the fetus and carrying away fetal waste products. The placenta is expelled after birth.

Porcine: Relating to pigs.

Pork: The culinary name for swine meat.

Poultry: Domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers.
These most typically are members of the super order Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes
(which includes chickens, quails and turkeys) and the family Anatidae (in order Anseriformes), commonly
known as "waterfowl" (e.g. domestic ducks and domestic geese). Poultry also includes other birds which
are killed for their meat, such as pigeons or doves or birds considered to be game, like pheasants.

Processed Meat: Meat that has been altered from its original state for flavor, preservation and/or
convenience. The methods used for processing foods include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration
and aseptic processing. Sausages, jerky, cured meats, meat patties, bacon and salamis are all examples of
processed meats.

Protein Supplement: A feed containing protein, vitamins and minerals which is fed to livestock to provide a
complete diet.

PRRS: The acronym for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The result of a viral disease that
causes reproductive failure in breeding stock and respiratory tract illness in young pigs.

Puberty: The stage in the development of humans and other primates marked by the development of
secondary sex characteristics, including the beginning of the menstrual cycle in females. In humans,
puberty occurs at the onset of adolescence, between the ages of about 11 and 14 in girls and 13 and 16 in
boys.

R
Ractopamine: A drug that is used as a feed additive to promote leanness in pigs raised for their meat.

Ram (or Buck): A male sheep of any age.

Red Meat: Meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. In the nutritional sciences, red meat
includes all mammal meat. Red meat includes the meat of most adult mammals and some fowl (e.g.
ducks).

Reticulum: The second division of the stomach in ruminant animals, which together with the rumen
contains microorganisms that digest fiber. The reticulum’s contents are regurgitated for further chewing as
part of the cud.

Roughage: The coarse, indigestible constituents of food or fodder, which provide bulk to the diet and
promote normal bowel function.

Rumen: The first and largest division of the stomach in ruminant animals, in which the food is fermented by
microorganisms.

Ruminant: Any of various even-toed hoofed mammals of the suborder Ruminantia. Ruminants usually
have a stomach divided into four compartments and chew a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially
digested food. Includes cattle, sheep, goats, deer and others.

S
Semen: A thick, whitish fluid that is produced during ejaculation by male mammals and carries male sperm
cells.
Sex Hormone: Any of various steroid hormones that regulate the sexual development of an organism and
are needed for reproduction. Testosterone and estrogen are sex hormones.

Sheep: Any of various usually horned ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis in the family Bovidae,
especially the domesticated species O. aries, raised in many breeds for wool, edible flesh or skin.

Sire: The male parent. To father or become the sire of.

Small Intestine: The long, narrow, coiled section of the intestine that extends from the stomach to the
beginning of the large intestine. Nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream from the small
intestine. In mammals, it is made up of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

Sperm: The smaller, usually motile male reproductive cell or most organisms that reproduce sexually.
Sperm cells are haploid (they have half the number of chromosomes as other cells in the body).

Sow: A sexually mature female hog, after having her first litter.

Stomach: 1. A saclike muscular organ in vertebrate animals that stores and breaks down ingested food.
Food enters the stomach from the esophagus and passes to the small intestine through the pylorus. Glands
in the stomach secrete hydrochloric acid and the digestive enzyme pepsin. 2. A similar digestive structure
of many invertebrates.

Swine: An animal commonly referred to as a pig or boar. Any of various omnivorous, even-toed ungulates
of the family Suidae, including pigs, hogs and boars, having a stout body with thick skin, a short neck and a
movable snout.
U
Umbilical Cord: The flexible cord that attaches an embryo or fetus to the placenta. The umbilical cord
contains blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to the fetus and remove its wastes, including
carbon dioxide.

Urea: The chief nitrogen-containing waste product excreted in the urine of mammals and some fish. It is the
final nitrogenous product in the breakdown of proteins by the body.

Urethra: The duct through which urine passes from the bladder to the outside of the body in most
mammals and some fish and birds. In males, the urethra passes through the penis and also serves as the
duct for the release of sperm.

Uterus: The hollow, muscular organ of female mammals in which the embryo develops. In most mammals,
the uterus is divided into two saclike parts, whereas in primates it is a single structure. It lies between the
bladder and rectum and is attached to the vagina and the fallopian tubes. During the menstral cycle
(estrus), the lining of the uterus (endometrium) undergoes changes that permit the implantation of a
fertilized egg. Also called womb.

Uterine: Relating to the uterus.

Veal: The meat of young cattle (calves), as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced
from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds

Vitamin: An organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism.[1] In other words, an
organic chemical compound (or related set of compounds) is called a vitamin when it cannot be
synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is
conditional both on the circumstances and on the particular organism. For example, ascorbic acid (vitamin
C) is a vitamin for humans, but not for most other animals, and biotin and vitamin D are required in the
human diet only in certain circumstances. By convention, the term vitamin does not include other essential
nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids (which are needed in
larger amounts than vitamins), nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote
health but are otherwise required less often.

Virus: Any of various extremely small, often disease-causing agents consisting of a particle containing a
segment of DNA or RNA within a protein coat. Viruses are not technically considered living organisms
because they are devoid of biological processes (such as metabolism and respiration) and cannot
reproduce on their own. Viruses are the cause of diseases like the “common cold” and chicken pox.

W
Warm-Blooded: Having a relatively warm body temperature that stays about the same regardless of
changes in the surroundings. Birds and mammals are warm-blooded.

Water: A chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and
two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-
exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state (water vapor or steam).

White Blood Cell: Any of various white or colorless cells in the blood of vertebrate animals, many of which
participate in the inflammatory and immune responses to protect the body against infection and the repair
of injuries to tissues. White body cells are formed mainly in the bone marrow.

Wool: The textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals,[1] including cashmere from goats,
mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and
angora from rabbits. Wool has several qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it is crimped, it is elastic,
and it grows in staples (clusters). The term wool is usually restricted to describing the fibrous protein
derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles in sheep.
Y
Yoke: A wooden beam, normally used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together
on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are
several types of yoke, used in different cultures, and for different types of oxen. A pair of oxen may be called
a yoke of oxen, and yoke is also a verb, as in "to yoke a pair of oxen". Other animals that may be yoked
include horses, mules, donkeys and water buffalo.
Yolk: The yellow internal part of the egg of a bird or reptile. The yolk is surrounded by the albumen and
supplies food to the developing young.

Z
Zoonotic: Relating to a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions. Example:
rabies.
Zygote: The cell formed by the union of the nuclei of two reproductive cells (gametes), especially in a fertilized
egg cell.