Sarcophilus harrisii

9.9

A small fierce animal from Tasmania that eats meat and has black fur and a long tail

noun

Specialized

: Sarcophilus harrisii

Researchers have been working to save Sarcophilus harrisii from a deadly facial tumor disease.

Examples

The Sarcophilus harrisii is renowned for its loud, disturbing screeches.
Many tourists hope to see a Sarcophilus harrisii in the wild during visits to Tasmania.
The Sarcophilus harrisii is known for its aggressive behavior.
Have you ever seen a Sarcophilus harrisii in the wild?
Many tourists hope to see a Sarcophilus harrisii in the wild during visits to Tasmania.
Researchers have been working to save Sarcophilus harrisii from a deadly facial tumor disease.
The Sarcophilus harrisii is renowned for its loud, disturbing screeches.

Synonyms

Tasmanian devil

vsSarcophilus harrisii

Australian

2 6.2

A small fierce animal from Tasmania that carries its young in a pouch and eats meat

is the formal scientific name used instead of the common English label

Surface Forms

Sarcophilus harrisii singular

Sarcophilus harrisii plural

Morphology

Sarcophilus + harrisii

The first element 'Sarcophilus' names a genus of carnivorous marsupials, so a learner who knows that could infer this is a specific animal within that genus; however 'harrisii' is a Latinised species epithet with no independent lexical meaning for a B1 learner, and the common-name meaning 'Tasmanian devil' is not transparently derivable without biological/taxonomic knowledge. Because part of the meaning (an animal species) is signalled by the genus but the precise referent requires specialist knowledge, the expression is only partially predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Sarcophilus harrisii is a scientific name made of two parts: Sarcophilus, from old words meaning 'flesh-lover', and harrisii, which honours a man called Harris. The name gives the image of an animal that eats meat, so it fits the creature we call the 'Tasmanian devil' today.