Glossary

 

Term	Definition
Animal detection systems	Animal detection systems are sign systems that alert the driver, usually through flashing lights, to animal movement detected on, or near, the road. Usually the sign is affixed with a flashing light system that is connected to detection sensors further down the road.
Biodiversity	Biodiversity encompasses all living species on Earth and their relationships to each other. This includes the differences in genes, species and ecosystems (www.biodivcanada.ca).
Buck	Adult male deer.
Bull	Adult male moose.
Calf	Young moose.
Capture myopathy	A disease complex associated with capture or handling of any wild species. Capture myopathy occurs when an animal cannot cool itself; the key feature of capture myopathy is hyperthermia (an increase in body temperature) (Wildlife International).
Carapace	The upper section of a shell such as found on turtles, crustaceans, or arachnids.
Carnivore	Animal that typically only eats other animals.
Caution signs	Caution signs are constructed of yellow and black reflective images and are installed in high-volume wildlife crossing areas. They depict an image of the animal or animals a driver may encounter on the road to alert the driver of their presence.
Citizen-science data	The collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists (online Oxford Dictionary).
COSEWIC	Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. COSEWIC is a committee of experts that assesses and designates which wildlife species are in some danger of disappearing from Canada.
Cow	Adult female moose.
Data, processed	Data that have been manipulated in some manner.
Data, raw	Data in original, unprocessed format.
Doe	Adult female deer.
Dynamic message signs	Dynamic message signs are electronic signs that display messages to drivers. The signs may be permanent, such as signs that span across the top of a road, or they can be portable, such as signs mounted on trailer units. The messages on the signs can be changed to suit the current conditions of the road, including warning drivers about wildlife.
Ecopassages	Wildlife over or under passages that allow animals to pass through or to re-establish connectivity between ecological areas that have been divided by a barrier such as a fence.
Ecozone	A method to classify environmental areas into groups based on similar geography, vegetation, and animal life.
Endangered	A species at serious risk of becoming extinct.
Enhanced caution signs	Enhanced caution signs are similar to caution signs but they add an advisory or warning of some type, such as stating the number of kilometers the warning is in effect, inserting terms such as “MOOSE XING”, or adding neon lighting to draw attention to the sign.
Exclusion fencing	Exclusion fencing is intended to prevent wildlife from crossing roadways or to direct wildlife to specific areas, usually ecopassages, where wildlife can safely cross roads. Generally, fencing is designed with particular species and terrain in mind.
Extirpated	A species that no longer exists in a certain location, typically its historical region; however, continues to exist elsewhere.
Extinct	A species that no longer exists; there are no living members.
Fawn	Young deer.
Forage	The eating of plant/vegetation by animals.
GIS	Geographic information system. It is a computer system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data (Wikipedia).
GPS	Global positioning system. It is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on, or near, the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites (Wikipedia).
Green Corridor	See Habitat Corridor.
Habitat Corridor	Also known as a wildlife corridor or green corridor, a Habitat Corridor is an area where different habitats converge and act as a conduit for wildlife species to move and intermingle. They can be separated by human structures such as roads.
Herpetofauna	Reptiles such as turtles and amphibians such as salamanders of a particular region.
Mineral/muck lick	Salt that accumulates in roadside ditches or pools, often created from de-icing processes in winter months in jurisdictions that use salt as a road de-icer. They can also be referred to as salt pools.
Omnivore	An animal that typically eats both plants and animals.
Overpass, wildlife or animal	Passages that cross over roadways for animals to use such as a bridge.
Photovoltaic cells	The use of solar panels to convert solar energy into electricity.
Plastron	The relatively flat under section of a turtle’s shell.
Riparian	The boundary between land and river or stream areas such as a river bank.
Road ecology	The study of the interactions between the environment and roads.
Rut season	The time period in the fall when animals such as moose and deer mate and is characterized by fighting between males using their antlers.
SARA	The Species at Risk Act (SARA) governs Canada’s overall approach to the protection and recovery of threatened species.
Salt pool	Salt that accumulates in roadside ditches or pools, often created from de-icing processes in winter months in jurisdictions that use salt as a road de-icer. They can also be referred to as roadside mineral or muck licks.
Seasonal signs	Seasonal signs are used only during peak animal activity periods, typically during animal migration in the spring and fall. These signs can be modified by changing what is displayed, and they can be moved to different locations.
Species at risk	A plant or animal that is at increased likelihood to become endangered and possibly extinct or extirpated at some point in the future. Species can be threatened for a variety of reasons including human activity, climate changes, disease, or a rise in predators.
Turtle – freshwater	These turtles live on land and usually in, or near, fresh water sources, such as ponds and lakes.
Turtle – marine	These turtles live in or along the coasts of salt water bodies, such as the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Ultrasonic devices	Also known as deer whistles, the purpose of these devices is to emit noise that gains the attention of deer, either to stop them or scare them away. Research has shown that they are not effective in reducing collisions with wildlife.
Underpass, wildlife or animal	Passages underneath roadways for animals to use or passages through a small drainage culvert.
Ungulate	Belonging or pertaining to the Ungulata, a former order of all hoofed mammals, now divided into the odd-toed perissodactyls and even-toed artiodactyls.
Wetlands	Wetlands are areas of soil that are submerged or saturated by water, such as marshes or swamps. The combination of soil, water, and the unique plants which grow in wetland environments create a nutrient-rich ecosystem for many species to feed upon.
Wildlife corridor	See Habitat Corridor.