Canis niger
- noun
- /ˈkeɪnɪs ˈnaɪɡər/
- Specialized
:
lobo rojo
- Conservation efforts are underway to protect Canis niger in its native range.
Examples
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The Canis niger population has been declining due to habitat loss.
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Biologists observed a pack of Canis niger near the river last spring.
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The Canis niger is critically endangered in the wild.
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Did you know that the Canis niger is native to North America?
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Biologists observed a pack of Canis niger near the river last spring.
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Conservation efforts are underway to protect Canis niger in its native range.
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The Canis niger population has been declining due to habitat loss.
Synonyms
1
8.6
A rare reddish-grey wolf that lives in the southeastern United States
A reddish-grey wolf from the southeastern United States called the red wolf
Surface Forms
Morphology
Canis + niger
This is a Latin taxonomic binomial (genus + species epithet) rather than a regular English phrase, so a B1 learner who knows 'Canis' and the (here unknown) element 'niger' would not reliably infer the common meaning 'red wolf'. Scientific names are technical and language-specific; the species epithet is not a transparent English descriptor and even its Latin sense ('black') would mislead relative to the given definition, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the parts.
Etymology
The name Canis niger comes from the Latin words canis meaning 'dog' and niger meaning 'black'. Early scientists used that name for a wild, dog-like animal, and the name stayed even though the animal is reddish-grey, so Canis niger now refers to the 'red wolf'.