Animals sampler*

Verb hide by covering up or making harder to see
camouflage
To camouflage themselves, red-eyed tree frogs cover their blue sides with their back legs, tuck their bright orange feet under their belly, and keep their bulging red eyes shut.
Adjective caught in a trap
Attached to rocks on the sea bottom or on coral reefs, they wait for fish to get ensnared in their venom-filled tentacles.
Verb puzzle or confuse
The lengths, and heights, that goats will go to to sate their appetite for salt might flummox the average witness and make mountain climbers jealous.
Adverb sufficient to cause death
Black mambas are fast, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 mph (20 k/ph), and lethally venomous.
Noun well known for some undesirable feature, quality, or act
The mating behavior of the female praying mantis is notorious as she sometimes eats the male just after, or even during, the act!
Verb care for and encourage the growth or development of
Nine-day-old giant pandas, still blind and unable to crawl, are being nurtured in a remarkable Chinese panda nursery.
Verb move or swing from side to side regularly
An esoteric study by Andrew Dickerson shows how fast different animals "oscillate their bodies to shed water droplets."
Adjective causing serious harm or death
The toxic pufferfish delicacy called Fugu kills about 300 people per year in spite of the meticulous measurements of expert chefs.
Adjective lacking grace in movement or posture
The ostrich may look ungainly, yet they run quickly and efficiently. The secret is their springiness - ostrich tendons store twice as much "elastic energy" per step as we do.