Phascolarctos cinereus
- noun
- /ˌfæs.kəˈlɑːrk.təs sɪˈnɪr.i.əs/
- Specialized
:
koala
- The Phascolarctos cinereus spends most of its life sleeping in eucalyptus trees.
Examples
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Researchers observed a group of Phascolarctos cinereus feeding exclusively on certain species of eucalyptus.
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The Phascolarctos cinereus is native to Australia.
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Unlike many other marsupials, the Phascolarctos cinereus rarely comes down from the trees.
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Many tourists visit Australia to see the Phascolarctos cinereus in its natural habitat.
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Researchers observed a group of Phascolarctos cinereus feeding exclusively on certain species of eucalyptus.
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The Phascolarctos cinereus spends most of its life sleeping in eucalyptus trees.
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Many tourists visit Australia to see the Phascolarctos cinereus in its natural habitat.
Synonyms
40
1.0
A slow animal from Australia that lives in trees and eats eucalyptus leaves
2
1.0
A slow tree animal from Australia with grey fur that eats eucalyptus leaves and carries its babies in a pouch
A small Australian animal that lives in trees, carries babies in a pouch, and eats eucalyptus leaves
Surface Forms
Morphology
Phascolarctos + cinereus
This is a Linnaean scientific name in Latin: knowing the genus label 'Phascolarctos' and an unfamiliar Latin epithet 'cinereus' does not let a B1 English learner infer the common meaning 'koala' without prior exposure or knowledge of taxonomic/Latin conventions. The structure and vocabulary are language-specific and non-compositional for typical learners, so the meaning is not transparently derived from the parts.
Etymology
Phascolarctos cinereus comes from Greek and Latin words: Phascolarctos means 'pouched bear' and cinereus means 'ash-coloured', so the name describes the grey, pouch-carrying koala.