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Glite Dictionary
Cuon alpinus

Cuon alpinus

1 9.9
A wild dog from forests in central and southeast Asia that hunts in groups
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Cuon alpinus
  • Unlike wolves, the Cuon alpinus often forms larger, more cooperative packs.

Examples

  • Researchers are studying the habitat loss threatening the survival of Cuon alpinus across Asia.

  • The Cuon alpinus is known for its exceptional teamwork when hunting prey.

  • The Cuon alpinus is known for its social hunting behavior.

  • Have you ever seen a Cuon alpinus in the wild?

  • The Cuon alpinus, also known as the dhole, is known for its social behavior and ability to hunt in coordinated packs.

  • In the forests of Southeast Asia, the Cuon alpinus uses teamwork to track and catch its prey.

  • Wildlife researchers observed a pack of Cuon alpinus working together to surround a deer during a hunt.

Synonyms

dhole
vsCuon alpinus
  • Indian
1 9.9

A wild dog that lives in forests in central and southeast Asia and hunts in packs

is the scientific species name while the other is the common name
cyon
vsCuon alpinus
  • Archaic
9.9

A wild dog from Asia that lives and hunts in packs

is the specific species rather than the broader genus

Surface Forms

Cuon alpinus singular
Cuon alpinus plural

Morphology

Cuon + alpinus

This is a scientific Latin binomial rather than a normal English phrase; the constituent parts are taxonomic labels (one undefined here) and do not convey the everyday sense 'a fierce wild dog (dhole) that hunts in packs'. Even if a learner recognised 'Cuon' as a genus, binomial morphology and the missing/Latin adjective 'alpinus' require specialist knowledge, so the meaning is not derivable by a B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

Cuon alpinus may come from old words for 'dog' and 'from the mountains': Cuon is an old word for 'dog' and alpinus means 'from the mountains'. So the name paints the image of a mountain dog that hunts in packs, which fits this fierce wild species known as the dhole.