Crossword Dictionary

NEST

nest - n 
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young 

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nest, structure created by an animal to house its eggs, its young, or, in some cases, itself. Nests are built by a few invertebrates, especially the social insects, and by some members of all the major vertebrate groups.

The social insects (termites, ants, bees, and wasps) build the only true nests found among the arthropods. These nests are often elaborate systems of chambers and tunnels, above or below ground. Chambers are often provided for the queen, eggs, larvae, and pupae, as well as passages for ventilation and movement.

The nests of fishes vary from shallow depressions scooped in sand or gravel (used by many groups) to enclosed structures constructed of plant materials, such as those constructed by male sticklebacks, which use a secretion produced by the kidneys as a binding material.

Among amphibians, only certain frogs build nests, which may be simple mud basins (some Hyla species) or floating masses of hardened froth (many diverse groups).

A few reptiles build nests; most do not. The alligator (Alligator mississipiensis) builds a mound of mud and vegetation in which the eggs are laid and guarded by the female. Cobras build nests of leaves and forest debris, carried by kinking their necks, and both sexes guard the eggs.

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