dwarf pocket rat
- noun
- Specialized
:
rata de bolsillo enana
- The dwarf pocket rat is native to the arid regions of the southwestern United States.
Examples
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Unlike its larger relatives, the dwarf pocket rat often buries its seeds close to its burrow.
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Researchers observed the dwarf pocket rat feeding at night to avoid predators.
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The dwarf pocket rat is native to arid regions and avoids the heat of the day.
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I saw a dwarf pocket rat at the wildlife reserve last weekend.
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Researchers observed the dwarf pocket rat feeding at night to avoid predators.
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The dwarf pocket rat is native to arid regions and avoids the heat of the day.
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Unlike its larger relatives, the dwarf pocket rat often buries its seeds close to its burrow.
Synonyms
A small pale yellow mouse with soft fur that lives in dry parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico
A small pale yellow mouse with very soft fur that lives in deserts
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall sense — a small rat with a pouch or pocket-like feature — is directly derivable from combining 'dwarf' (very small) + 'pocket' (a small hollow or pouch) + 'rat' (a rodent). Although 'pocket' as a zoological term for cheek pouches is somewhat specialized, the basic image of a small rodent with a pouch is easily inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words, so the composition is transparent.
Etymology
Dwarf pocket rat gets its name from three simple parts: dwarf for its very small size, pocket for the cheek pouches it uses like little pockets, and rat for the kind of rodent. So the name describes a small 'rat' that carries food in 'pouches'.
