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Glite Dictionary
Elaphurus davidianus

Elaphurus davidianus

9.9
A large Chinese deer kept in farms and parks to help it survive
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Elaphurus davidianus
  • The Elaphurus davidianus, also known as Père David's deer, is now only found in domesticated herds.

Examples

  • The Elaphurus davidianus was once extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced to reserves in China.

  • The London Zoo has a small population of Elaphurus davidianus for conservation purposes.

  • Researchers studied the feeding habits of Elaphurus davidianus in managed herds.

  • The Elaphurus davidianus is a rare species of deer.

  • Did you know that the Elaphurus davidianus was once widespread in China?

  • Researchers studied the behavior of Elaphurus davidianus in their natural habitat.

  • Conservationists are working to preserve the Elaphurus davidianus population in various sanctuaries.

Synonyms

elaphure
vsElaphurus davidianus
  • Archaic
9.9

A large Chinese deer now found only in parks and farms, extinct in the wild

focuses on survival only in domesticated herds
Père David's deer
vsElaphurus davidianus
9.9

A large deer from China with unusual antlers that lives in captivity

focuses on survival only in domesticated herds

Surface Forms

Elaphurus davidianus singular
Elaphurus davidianus plural

Morphology

Elaphurus + davidianus

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species). A learner who knows 'Elaphurus' as a genus of deer can infer the phrase refers to a type of deer, but the species epithet 'davidianus' is a Latinized name referring to a person and does not convey the descriptive details (large Chinese deer, domesticated herds). Binomial taxonomy is cross-linguistically regular, so the taxonomic relation is partially transparent but the full meaning is not recoverable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Elaphurus davidianus was named after the French priest and animal collector 'Père David', who sent the first deer from China to museums in Europe. The species part davidianus means 'of David', so the scientific name today simply names the deer we call 'Père David's deer'.