Eunectes murinus
- noun
- Specialized
:
Eunectes murinus
- The Eunectes murinus is considered the heaviest snake in the world.
Examples
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Researchers tracked the movement of a Eunectes murinus through the flooded forests of the Amazon.
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Zoo visitors were fascinated by the size of the Eunectes murinus on display.
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The Eunectes murinus is known for its incredible size.
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Have you ever seen a Eunectes murinus in the wild?
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Researchers tracked the movement of a Eunectes murinus through the flooded forests of the Amazon.
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Zoo visitors were fascinated by the size of the Eunectes murinus on display.
-
The Eunectes murinus is considered the heaviest snake in the world.
Synonyms
16
5.6
A very large snake that lives in rivers and swamps in tropical South America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Eunectes + murinus
This is a Latin scientific binomial rather than a phrase built from everyday English words; even if a learner knows that 'Eunectes' refers to large South American snakes, the specific epithet 'murinus' is not a transparent English word and the full meaning ('green anaconda') cannot be derived compositionally. Scientific names function as proper nouns and are language-specific labels, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not reliably infer the common-language referent.
Etymology
Eunectes murinus comes from old Greek and Latin words: Eunectes may mean 'good swimmer' and murinus may mean 'mouse-coloured'. So the name pictures the green anaconda — a very large water snake that swims well and has a dark, mouse-like colour.