Pagophilus groenlandicus
- noun
- /ˌpæɡəˈfaɪləs ˌɡroʊlændɪkəs/
- Specialized
:
foca de Groenlandia
- The Pagophilus groenlandicus is known for its distinctive white coat during infancy.
Examples
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The Pagophilus groenlandicus population migrates annually across the North Atlantic ice.
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Scientists tracked several Pagophilus groenlandicus to study their unusual breeding behavior.
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Young Pagophilus groenlandicus are prized for their distinctive white fur.
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Look at that Pagophilus groenlandicus swimming gracefully in the water!
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The harp seal, scientifically known as Pagophilus groenlandicus, is often seen resting on the Arctic ice.
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Young Pagophilus groenlandicus are all white and move with their mothers on the sea ice.
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During spring, the Pagophilus groenlandicus can be found on ice floes where they breed and nurse their pups.
Synonyms
1
5.4
A large Arctic seal with dark curved marks on its back and white newborn pups
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pagophilus + groenlandicus
Because 'Pagophilus' is glossed as a genus of seals, a learner who knows that word can infer this is a species name and thus a kind of seal; however, the specific epithet 'groenlandicus' is a Latinized form (not a straightforward English word) and B1 learners typically lack knowledge of taxonomic Latin. While the form hints at 'Greenland' and allows partial inference (a seal associated with Greenland), the exact common name 'harp seal' and finer details are not derivable without background knowledge, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Pagophilus groenlandicus comes from old Greek and Latin parts: pago- meaning 'ice', -philus meaning 'lover', and groenlandicus meaning 'from Greenland'. So the name paints a picture of an animal that loves sea ice, the 'harp seal' that lives and breeds on northern ice and whose young are all white.