{"id":723,"date":"2014-08-04T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T16:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=723"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:47:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:47:08","slug":"toefl-vocabulary-animal-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-vocabulary-animal-words\/","title":{"rendered":"TOEFL Vocabulary: Animal Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update: Once you’re read this post, you can review these words with the help of David Recine’s mnemonic comics: Magoosh Comics: Reviewing Animal Words.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The TOEFL loves animals. Okay, that\u2019s a little ambiguous. The TOEFL doesn\u2019t love animals the same way my coworker Rachel loves cats. It\u2019s more scientific than that. Specifically, the TOEFL texts and lectures often include one topic about a species of animal. Very often that text or lecture is about the animal\u2019s behaviour, evolution, population, or biology\u2014that is, how the animals act, how they\u2019ve changed over time, how many of them there are in which places, or how their bodies work.<\/p>\n

Below are five words that are commonly used in the context of zoology (the study of animals)\u2014words you might not use in everyday English, but are very possibly going to show up on your test.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Population<\/h2>\n

Since I used this word already above, and it\u2019s a pretty common word, it\u2019s a good word to start this list with. There are a couple different meanings of \u201cpopulation\u201d that are important for the TOEFL. First, it can mean the number of animals (or people) in a certain area. The population of Tokyo is over 13 million, for example. That\u2019s 13 million people; I don\u2019t know how many animals there are. The other meaning is the actual group of people or animals, not just the number.<\/p>\n

TOEFL Example: Habitat destruction has broken many animal populations<\/strong> into smaller, isolated communities, which can cause problems for reproduction and growth. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Habitat<\/h2>\n

If you didn\u2019t know this word when I used it in the example sentence for \u201cpopulation\u201d above, then you\u2019re in luck. Let\u2019s define it here.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnvironment\u201d is a more common word which, in some sentences, can mean the exact same thing as \u201chabitat.\u201d Both refer to the place where a certain animal lives. It includes the surrounding plants, the weather, and the other animals. The biggest difference between the two words is that \u201cenvironment\u201d can be used to mean the whole world or even a place where nothing lives\u2014it\u2019s not just about the animals\u2014<\/em>whereas \u201chabitat\u201d refers only to a specific place where a specific animal lives.<\/p>\n

TOEFL Example<\/em>: As settlers travelled across the U.S., they moved through the bison\u2019s ideal habitat<\/strong>, prairie, and so they had a lot of opportunities to hunt.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Migrate<\/h2>\n

If you live in a place that sees snow in the winter, you know where many people travel when it gets cold: sunny places. Those people aren\u2019t so different from many animals. When the winter comes on, they move to another area where it\u2019s warmer and there\u2019s more food.<\/p>\n

In a sense, \u201cto migrate\u201d just means \u201cto move,\u201d but it\u2019s used specifically when many, many animals are moving at one time and for a specific purpose.<\/p>\n

TOEFL Example: The blue whale migrates<\/strong> further each year than does any other whale\u2014or for that matter, any other animal\u2014travelling over 12,000 miles annually. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thrive<\/h2>\n

There are many ways to judge success as a human. For animals, it\u2019s much simpler\u2014don\u2019t die. If you live to an old age and have many children, you are a successful animal. (Clearly, some people would say this is true of humans, too.)<\/p>\n

That is what \u201cthriving\u201d is, especially the part about having many children. When a species thrives, the population grows.<\/p>\n

TOEFL Example: Although humans are afraid of the health hazards caused by continued radioactivity at Chernobyl, many animal species are now thriving<\/strong> in the abandoned cities and towns. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Predator \/ Prey<\/h2>\n

These two words aren\u2019t related in their roots, but the meaning are closely connected. If you know one word, you should know the other, too.<\/p>\n

A \u201cpredator\u201d is an animal which hunts and eats other animals. Usually, it\u2019s used in the context of the specific animal that is hunted. For example, you might say that prairie dogs have many predators.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPrey\u201d is what the predator hunts. Prairie dogs are prey<\/em> for many different predators.<\/em><\/p>\n

TOEFL Example:<\/em> When a species that serves as both predator<\/strong> and prey<\/strong> in a certain habitat disappears, the effects can be significant, as its prey will thrive, and the population of its predators will shrink.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update: Once you’re read this post, you can review these words with the help of David Recine’s mnemonic comics: Magoosh Comics: Reviewing Animal Words. The TOEFL loves animals. Okay, that\u2019s a little ambiguous. The TOEFL doesn\u2019t love animals the same way my coworker Rachel loves cats. It\u2019s more scientific than that. Specifically, the TOEFL texts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13604],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13628],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTOEFL Vocabulary: Animal Words - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/toefl-vocabulary-animal-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TOEFL Vocabulary: Animal Words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Update: Once you’re read this post, you can review these words with the help of David Recine’s mnemonic comics: Magoosh Comics: Reviewing Animal Words. 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