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Glite Dictionary
Mustelus norrisi

Mustelus norrisi

9.9
A shark with smooth skin that lives from the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mustelus norrisi
  • Researchers recently discovered a population of Mustelus norrisi along the Brazilian coast.

Examples

  • Fishermen sometimes catch Mustelus norrisi by accident when trawling in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • The Mustelus norrisi is commonly found in warm coastal waters.

  • The Mustelus norrisi is known for its smooth skin and timid behavior.

  • Have you ever seen a Mustelus norrisi in the wild?

  • Fishermen sometimes catch Mustelus norrisi by accident when trawling in the Gulf of Mexico.

  • Researchers recently discovered a population of Mustelus norrisi along the Brazilian coast.

  • The Mustelus norrisi is known for its smooth skin and timid behavior.

Synonyms

Florida smoothhound
vsMustelus norrisi
  • Specialized
9.6

A small shark that lives in shallow coastal waters from the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil

is the scientific Latin name for the same species

Surface Forms

Mustelus norrisi singular
Mustelus norrisies plural

Morphology

Mustelus + norrisi

This is a Latin binomial: 'Mustelus' names a genus of smoothhound sharks while 'norrisi' is a species epithet (likely a proper name) with no independent lexical meaning. A B1 learner who knows 'Mustelus' can infer it refers to a kind of shark, but cannot derive the specific species information from the epithet, so the overall meaning is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Mustelus norrisi is a scientific name made of two parts: Mustelus and norrisi. The word Mustelus comes from an old word meaning 'weasel' because these sharks are smooth and long like a small animal, and norrisi probably honors a person named Norris, so the full name points to a 'weasel-like' shark named after that person.