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animal
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a multicellular organism, either vertebrate or invertebrate, that can breathe, move, ingest, excrete, and sexually reproduce.
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animal empathy
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a human sense of understanding and sensing the feelings of other animals.
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anthropocentrism
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the belief that the human perspective is the most important one; also called human exceptionalism.
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conspecifics
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members of the same species.
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culture hero
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an idealized animal or human figure associated with supernatural feats. A culture hero is particular to their cultural group, exhibiting specific traits, actions, and discoveries that are significant to that group of people
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domestication
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the selective breeding of a species by humans to create animals better suited to human life.
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ecotourism
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an international conservation movement to preserve the flora and fauna of endangered natural environments through conscientious tourism.
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karma
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a Buddhist spiritual principle of cause and effect in which an individual’s words, actions, and deeds in one life affect their conditions in the next life cycle
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multispecies ethnography
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the study of the interactions between humans and other species within their shared environment.
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nature
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a domain defined by cultures as outside or on the margins of human culture.
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neotony
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a tendency for an animal to maintain both physical and social juvenile characteristics into adulthood.
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nomadic pastoralism
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herding that is based on the availability of environmental resources; involves unpredictable movements, as herders decide from day to day where they will go next.
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pastoral societies
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societies in which primary subsistence is based on herding groups of animals.
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pets
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animals, whether domesticated or tamed, with whom humans have a social bond.
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polyspecific
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interaction involving multiple species.
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reincarnation
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rebirth into a new cycle of life, inhabiting a new body of the same or another species.
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symbiosis
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a mutually beneficial relationship between species.
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tame
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a behavioral condition in which humans encourage wild animals to tolerate human proximity and interaction.
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totem
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an animal or plant believed to be spiritually connected to a group of people.
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totemism
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a belief and classification system in which a group of humans claims a spiritual kinship with a plant or animal that serves as the group’s emblem.
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transhumant pastoralism
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herding in a regular, patterned movement from one location to another.
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trickster
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an animal spirit deity who is very lively and clever and gets into trouble through thoughtless or unconventional actions.
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zoonoses
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plural form of
zoonosis
, singular; diseases transmitted from animals to humans, usually involving a wild animal host. Many zoonoses mutate and become more virulent in their human hosts (e.g., COVID-19, measles, HIV, influenza).