Richardson ground squirrel
- noun
- Specialized
:
ardilla de tierra de Richardson
- We spotted a Richardson ground squirrel darting across the prairie in Alberta.
Examples
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The presence of Richardson ground squirrels is common in open grasslands of the northern Great Plains.
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Farmers often take measures to control the population of Richardson ground squirrels to protect their crops.
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The Richardson ground squirrel is commonly found in grasslands.
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Look at that Richardson ground squirrel gathering food!
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The presence of Richardson ground squirrels is common in open grasslands of the northern Great Plains.
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We spotted a Richardson ground squirrel darting across the prairie in Alberta.
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Farmers often take measures to control the population of Richardson ground squirrels to protect their crops.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A small animal that lives in holes in the ground and often has stripes
A small ground squirrel that lives and burrows in grasslands of western United States and Canada
A small ground squirrel with a tail that moves quickly in western grasslands
Surface Forms
Morphology
Richardson + ground + squirrel
A B1 learner who knows 'ground' and 'squirrel' will readily infer this refers to a type of ground-dwelling squirrel; the word 'Richardson' is an eponymial proper name that does not prevent understanding the basic referent. The composition (ProperName + ground + squirrel) is regular and cross-linguistically common for species names, so the overall meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.
Etymology
Richardson ground squirrel is named after the 19th-century naturalist John Richardson and joins Richardson (the person) with ground squirrel (a small burrowing rodent). So, the name simply means 'a species of ground squirrel' found in open grasslands.