Varanidae
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9.9
- noun
- /ˈvɛrəˌneɪdi/
- Specialized
- They are closely related to lizards that belong to the family Varanidae, which comprises the Komodo dragon and other monitor lizards.
- the Varanidae family
Examples
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Such a display of intelligence in monitor lizards, the animals of the family Varanidae, is not unusual.
Academic text (2003) -
That work alone has increased the species count of the family Varanidae by about 25 percent.
Academic text (2003) -
The family Varanidae includes impressive creatures like the Komodo dragon and the Asian water monitor.
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Scientists study the Varanidae to understand the behavior and physiology of monitor lizards.
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In the family Varanidae, each species exhibits unique hunting techniques adapted to their environments.
Synonyms
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6.1
A large lizard from hot regions like Africa, Asia and Australia that eats meat
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9.1
A large tropical lizard that eats meat and has a long tail
A group of large lizards that eat meat, like the Komodo dragon
Compounds
Surface Forms
Morphology
Varanidae = Varanus (opaque) = varanus + idae
The form is built from the genus name 'Varanus' plus the scientific family suffix '-idae', which is a specialized taxonomic formation not generally meaningful to average learners.
Etymology
Varanidae comes from the genus name Varanus, which in turn comes from an old Arabic word waran meaning 'lizard' or 'monitor'. So Varanidae is the family name for the large, meat-eating lizards we know as monitor lizards.