family Pygopodidae

9.9

A group of legless lizards from Australia and Tasmania that look like snakes

noun
/ˈfæmɪli pɪˈɡoʊpəˌdaɪ/

Specialized

: familia Pygopodidae

Unlike true snakes, members of the family Pygopodidae retain vestigial hind limbs.

Examples

The family Pygopodidae includes about 45 species of legless lizards native to Australia.
The family Pygopodidae is known for its remarkable adaptations to a burrowing lifestyle in Australia.
Scientists are studying the evolutionary adaptations of the family Pygopodidae to understand their snake-like features.
The family Pygopodidae includes several unique species.
Did you know that the family Pygopodidae has no legs?
Researchers have discovered that the family Pygopodidae comprises various legless lizards that thrive in diverse habitats.
In the family Pygopodidae, the snakes have evolved unique features that distinguish them from their lizard relatives.

Synonyms

Pygopodidae

vsfamily Pygopodidae

Australian

9.9

A family of legless lizards from Australia and Tasmania that look like snakes

is identical in meaning but adds a rank word before the scientific name

Surface Forms

family Pygopodidae singular

families Pygopodidae plural

Morphology

family + Pygopodidae

The phrase is fully compositional: 'family' denotes a scientific taxonomic grouping and 'Pygopodidae' names the group of legless lizards, so the meaning (‘the family of Pygopodidae lizards’) is directly derivable from the parts. Taxonomic naming conventions are regular and cross-linguistically similar, making this immediately comprehensible to learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

Family Pygopodidae comes from old Greek parts meaning pygo 'rear' and pod 'foot', giving the image of a tiny foot at the back of the animal. These lizards look like snakes but keep small hidden hind limbs, so the name helps you remember they are a family of 'legless' or nearly legless lizards.