![[BEARS: Imagination and Reality. At the San Diego Natural History Museum from October 21, 2000 through January 2, 2001.]](images/bnr-bears.jpg)
Teacher's Guide: Bear Vocabulary
| aggressive bear | a bear that tends to fight |
| behavior | actions and reactions that a bear makes in response to its environment |
| carnivorous | eating only animals |
| claw | a sharp, usually slender curved nail on the toe of an animal |
| constellation | a group of stars that seem to form a pattern in the sky. Constellations have been named after animals, gods and goddesses, and objects. |
| dominant bear | a bear that usually is the largest bear; it asserts rights to food sources, mates, etc. |
| downwind | the direction the wind is blowing to. If the wind is blowing from the bear to you, you are downwind of the bear. |
| encounter | a meeting between a bear and a person |
| habitat | a place where a bear lives which meets its basic needs |
| herbivorous | eating only plants |
| mammals | animals that are born alive, nurse from their mother, and have hair |
| omnivorous | eating both animals and plants |
| pad | the cushion part of the foot near the toes |
| paw | the foot of an animal |
| plantigrade | walking flat on the foot with the heel, sole, and pad touching the ground |
| posture | a body position indicating a mood |
| an impression, usually made by a foot (see bear tracks) | |
| sole | the area of the foot between the pad and the heel |
| submissive bear | a bear that yields to more dominant bears, avoids eye contact, and threatening behaviors |
| scat | feces left by a bear (see bear sign) |
| track | a trail of bear paw prints (see bear tracks) |
| upwind | the direction the wind in blowing from. If the wind is blowing from you to the bear, you are upwind of the bear. |
| winter lethargy | to pass the winter in a dormant or sleeping state, like a bear |
Vocabulary
Pre- and Post-visit Activities
