The Tonawanda News Tonawanda News — Knowledge is power and my
favorite form of knowledge is vocabulary. When I took a field
course in Costa Rica for three weeks studying rainforest animals
I committed to memory a few terms that I use often when talking
about animals and pets and when they sleep. In college I was
also taught that one of the best ways to not only remember, but
to truly understand a concept is to teach the idea to a friend.
This is probably one of the reasons why I still have the
following party-worthy words ready to go at a moment’s notice.
As soon as I learned them, I began sharing. Understanding your
pet’s behavior directly relates to understanding your pet’s
health. Since about third grade we’re all familiar the word
“nocturnal.” Nocturnal animals are those animals that are active
during night and sleep during the day. Sugar gliders, rats,
hamsters, bats and owls are popular examples. A slightly less-
known vocabulary word would be the term that describes the
opposite: those animals that are