Cc

cabbage Cabbage, mustard, and their many relatives belong to the family Cruciferae (cross bearers). The name comes from the shape of the flowers. They have two separate petals and two sepals, which are petal-like parts, arranged in opposite pairs in the form of a Maltese cross. The flowers may be white, yellow, orange, lilac, or purple, arranged in loose clusters at the top of the stem. There are six stamens, which are male sex organs, two of them lower and shorter than the others. The seed pods usually consist of two outside walls, separated by a thin white partition.

cache (noun) A hidden store of food; (verb) to hide food for future use.

caecilian (se sil'an) n. an elongated, worm-like amphibian without limbs and limb girdles, a burrowing tropical amphibian of the order Gymnophiona. . The body is segmented, with scales imbedded in the skin in some species. The eyes are small and covered with skin. The tail is short and pointed. adult caecilians are terrestrial, burrowing animals, inhabiting tropical rainforests but the larval stages are aquatic.

calipee Calipee is a vital ingredient in turtle soup. It is the cartilage cut from the bones of the bottom shell. Archie Carr tells us that the half-dozen pieces weigh about five pounds wet and less when dried. He also describes a gruesome harvesting procedure employed by poachers: green sea turtles are turned over, the calipee cut out, and the turtle is left to die.

canopy n. A relatively continuous layer in forests resulting from the intermingling of branches of trees; it may be continuous ("closed") or broken by gaps ("open").

carapace n. A hard, protective outer covering of the back or part of the back of an animal (such as a crab).

carnivore n. A meat-eating animal

caudal gland n. An enlarged skin gland associated with the root of the tail.

cellulose n. The fundamenetal constituent of the cell wass of all green plants. It is tough and fibrous and is the principal structural material of plants.

cervid n. A member of the deer family of the artiodactyls

cetacean n. A whale, dolphin or porpoise

CITES The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was negotiated in 1973 and originally signed by 85 countries. Mauritania became a party to CITES in June, 1998, bring the total number of participating countries to 144. "It is designed to promote conservation of endangered species while allowing commerce in species of wildlife that can withstand the pressures of trade. The convention has three categories of protection. Under its Appendix I, commercial trade in species that are threatened with extinction is generally prohibited. These species may be traded only under special conditions (usually for scientific research or display purposes). Such transactions require both an import permit from CITES authorities in the recipient country and an export permit from authorities in the country of origin...

CITES allows conditional commercial trade in species that are not yet endangered but merit monitoring. These species are listed on Appendix II and may be traded only with an export permit from their country of origin.

A third appendix to CITES is intended to help individual countries gain international cooperation in protecting native species. Any country may place a native plant or animal on Appendix III, making the species conditionally tradable. The species may not be traded without either an export permit from its native country (if that country listed it on Appendix III) or a certificate of origin (if it comes from a country that did not list it)." (Fitzgerald 1989)

civet There are about 17 species of civets, weasel-like animals native to Africa and Asia. The bodies of adults measure from 16 to 39 inches (40 to 100 centimeters) long and their fur may be uniform in color or marked with spots, stripes, or bands. Civets display a wide variety of fur color. The bushy tail, up to 35 inches (89 centimeters) long, is often banded. The Oriental civet has a prominent crest of erect hairs down the center of the back. The African civet lacks this crest.

Civets live in forest, brush, or grassland and are active at night or during the day. They eat many types of small animals and fruit. The civet has a musk gland that secretes a butterlike, dark yellow substance, also called civet. Captive civets are sometimes "milked" for this substance, which is used as a fixative for perfume. Civets spray trees and the ground with the substance to mark their territory. The African civet lives mainly on land but takes to water readily. Palm civets live in trees and eat fruit. The otter civet of Malaya, Vietnam, Borneo, and Sumatra swims and fishes like an otter and climbs trees. The binturong is an Asian tree-dwelling civet that has a powerful, grasping tail that is like that of a monkey. Civets belong to the family Viverridae

cloud forest Moist, high-altitude forest characterised by dense understory growth, and abundance of ferns, mosses, orchids and other plants on the trunks and branches of the trees.

colonial Referring to animals that live together in colonies.

commensalism A one-sided relationship between two species, in which only one benefits and the other is neither benefited nor harmed (e.g. epiphytes such as orchids).

congenor A member of the same species or genus.

coniferous Relating to cone-bearing trees.

coniferous forest A forest consisting mostly of conifers such as firs, pines and spruces, usually in climates too dry or too cold to support deciduous forest.

copepod n. A small marine crustacean only a few millimeters (less than 1/8") in diameter.

cordillera A system of mountain ranges often consisting of a number of more or less parallel chains

crocodilian (kro' e dil' ën) - n. any large reptile of the order Crocodylia, comprising of crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gavials.

crustacean A member of a class within the Arthropods which has five pairs of legs, two pairs of antennae, head and thorax joined, and calcareous deposits in the exoskeleton (e.g. crayfish, crabs, and shrimp).

cud Food brought back up into the mouth by an animal from its first stomach to be chewed again.

cursorial Adapted for running.