Wildlife Management Terms - R
Rabbit: small, brown, furry, herbivorous mammal which are prey for bobcats and foxes
Raccoon: four legged omnivorous mammal with brown fur, black face mask, a black and grey striped tail, and a humped back shape when walking. Primarily nocturnal (night feeding) eating reptile eggs and fruits, along with scavenging
Ranavirus: genus of viruses that are highly infectious to amphibians and reptiles
Range: geographic area in which a species occurs
Rattlesnake: carnivorous reptile and known as a pit viper. Sensory pits on their head detect heat emitted by their prey along with a triangular shaped head and rattles made of interlocking scales. They have hollow fangs that lie back in their mouths until needed, then are raised into a striking position when they stab their prey with the fangs and inject a toxic venom. They prey upon lizards, mice, rabbits, and other small mammals
Rattling: buck calling technique were horns are rattled together by a hunter simulating two buck fitting in hope of attracting the attention of a another buck and luring that buck into shooting range
Recruitment: addition of a number of young to an adult population of breeders, as in growth by reproduction
Recycle: use over again
Refugium (plural refugia): sheltering area in which animals an survive unfavorable conditions
Regional linkage: connection of habitats, wildlife corridors, or greenways in a given region to facilitate wildlife migration, breeding, and dispersal
Regulations: rules that establish when, where and how game species may be harvested as well as other permissions for interaction between the public and natural resources
Repellant: lotion or spray that is distasteful or that drives away insects or other animals
Reportable disease: disease that must be reported to federal, state, or local animal or human health officials when diagnosed
Reptile: class of vertebrates whose skin is dry, lacking in glands, and covered with scales. Claws are present and skull, limbs bones, vertebrae, muscles, and so forth are stronger and more advanced than those of amphibians. Egg fertilization is internal, there is no larval stage, and eggs have a protective, hard shell
Resident or Non-migratory Deer: deer that stay within their summer range during the winter
Restoration: returning a resource, ecosystem, or plant community to its original structure and composition of species
Results chain: diagram that connects desired outcomes to strategies, by way of objectives and measurable goals
Reticulum: second chamber of a ruminant’s stomach (including deer) that holds partially chewed food
Riparian: pertaining to a river and the corridor adjoining it (i.e., the banks, floodplain); of, on, or relating to the banks of a natural course of water
Riparian buffer: small area of permanent vegetation located adjacent to a body of water and designed to mitigate the effects of run-off containing pollutants, nutrients, and sediment while fostering a biodiverse natural community
Riparian zone: area influenced by the presence of a concentration of water. The banks of streams, lakes or marshes. The size of the area is influenced by hydrology
Roost: support or perch on which birds rest for the night
Roosting cover: overnight cover such as coniferous stands for wild turkey, shrubs for quail, dense pine saplings for doves, beaver ponds for wood ducks, or snags with cavities for woodpeckers, songbirds, squirrels, and other cavity users
Rub: limb or tree trunk a buck rubs or scrapes with its antlers to mark territory and display dominance
Ruff: projecting or conspicuously colored ring of feathers or hair around the neck of a bird or mammal
Rumen: first chamber of a deer's stomach that "washes" the browse a deer consumes with microorganisms designed to break down food
Ruminants: animals characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments allowing them to consume a large amount of food quickly before seeking cover, then regurgitating and chewing a cud consisting of the partially digested food
Runoff: nutrient-loaded water that flows across land, picking up pollutants and excess chemicals, and eventually enters a body of water