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Glite Dictionary
Tarsius glis

Tarsius glis

9.9
A small primate active at night with very large eyes that lives in Southeast Asian forests
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Tarsius glis
  • The Tarsius glis is known for its enormous eyes and long fingers adapted for leaping.

Examples

  • Scientists have studied the habitat of Tarsius glis in Malaysian rainforests.

  • Unlike other primates, Tarsius glis feeds almost exclusively on insects and small animals.

  • The Tarsius glis is known for its large eyes.

  • Have you ever seen a Tarsius glis in the wild?

  • Scientists have studied the habitat of Tarsius glis in Malaysian rainforests.

  • The Tarsius glis is known for its enormous eyes and long fingers adapted for leaping.

  • Unlike other primates, Tarsius glis feeds almost exclusively on insects and small animals.

Surface Forms

Tarsius glis singular
Tarsius glis plural

Morphology

Tarsius + glis

This is a Latin binomial (genus + species). A learner who knows 'Tarsius' can infer it names a species of tarsier, but the species epithet 'glis' is Latin/opaque (no dictionary gloss) and does not contribute an immediately derivable everyday meaning; scientific names follow taxonomic convention rather than ordinary compositional semantics, so only part of the meaning is recoverable.

Etymology

Tarsius glis comes from old Latin words: tarsius points to its long ankle bones used for jumping and glis was a word for a small, night animal. So the name creates a simple image of a tiny primate 'active at night' with big eyes and long legs, which helps you remember this species.