Mexican freetail bat
- noun
- /ˈmɛksɪkən ˈfriːteɪl bæt/
- US
:
murciélago de cola libre mexicano
- The Mexican freetail bat is famous for its massive evening emergence from cave roosts.
Examples
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Researchers tracked the migration patterns of the Mexican freetail bat to better understand their winter habits.
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Every summer, tourists gather to watch thousands of Mexican freetail bats fly out at dusk.
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The Mexican freetail bat is a fascinating creature.
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Did you know that the Mexican freetail bats migrate south for the winter?
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Every summer, tourists gather to watch thousands of Mexican freetail bats fly out at dusk.
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Researchers tracked the migration patterns of the Mexican freetail bat to better understand their winter habits.
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The Mexican freetail bat is famous for its massive evening emergence from cave roosts.
Synonyms
A common bat with short soft fur found in the southern United States that flies south in winter
A fast bat called the Brazilian free-tailed bat that lives and migrates in parts of North and South America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is transparently compositional: 'Mexican' specifies origin, 'freetail' names a type of bat, and 'bat' denotes the animal, so the overall meaning (a freetail bat from Mexico/the region) is directly derivable from the parts. This adjectival + species-noun pattern is a common, cross-linguistic way to name animals, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Mexican freetail bat is named for where it lives and for the shape of its tail. The word Mexican points to the area around Mexico where the bat is common, and freetail means the tail is 'not joined to the wing' and sticks out, so the name gives a simple picture to help you remember this bat.
