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Glite Dictionary
cave myotis

cave myotis

9.9
A small bat with large ears that lives in caves in the southwestern United States and Mexico
  • noun
  • /keɪv maɪˈoʊtɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : murciélago de cueva
  • The cave myotis usually forms large colonies in limestone caves throughout Texas.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a population of cave myotis feeding near the entrance of a cave at sunset.

  • The distinctive ear shape helps the cave myotis navigate in complete darkness.

  • The cave myotis is often found in dark caves.

  • Have you seen a cave myotis before?

  • Researchers observed a population of cave myotis feeding near the entrance of a cave at sunset.

  • The cave myotis usually forms large colonies in limestone caves throughout Texas.

  • The cave myotis is often found in dark caves.

Synonyms

Myotis velifer
vscave myotis
  • Specialized
9.9

A small bat that lives in caves and similar places in the southwestern United States

is the everyday common name used for the same species

Surface Forms

cave myotis singular
cave myotises plural

Morphology

cave + Myotis

The phrase is a straightforward modifier construction: 'cave' (a habitat) qualifies 'Myotis' (a genus of bats), so the meaning is simply a Myotis that lives in caves. This compositional, noun+noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be intelligible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Cave myotis gets its name from where it lives and from its scientific word: cave shows it lives in caves, and myotis comes from old Greek words meaning 'mouse ear' because the bat has small, mouse-like ears. So the name simply points to a small bat that lives in caves.