Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
genus Heterocephalus

genus Heterocephalus

9.9
A group of rodents that live underground in East Africa and includes the naked mole-rat
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : género Heterocephalus
  • The genus Heterocephalus is famous for including the unusual naked mole-rat.

Examples

  • Within the genus Heterocephalus, the naked mole-rat displays remarkable resistance to cancer.

  • Scientists study the genus Heterocephalus to learn about subterranean mammal adaptations.

  • The genus Heterocephalus includes the unique naked mole-rat.

  • Did you know that the genus Heterocephalus is known for its social behavior?

  • The genus Heterocephalus is a fascinating group of burrowing rodents found in East Africa.

  • Researchers are particularly interested in the genus Heterocephalus due to the unique characteristics of the naked mole-rat.

  • Animals in the genus Heterocephalus have adapted remarkably to their underground habitats.

Synonyms

Heterocephalus
vsgenus Heterocephalus
  • Specialized
9.9

A small African animal like a hairless rat that lives in large underground groups

focuses on burrowing lifestyle and native East African range

Surface Forms

genus Heterocephalus singular
genera Heterocephalus plural

Morphology

genus + Heterocephalus

The phrase is fully compositional: 'genus' denotes a taxonomic rank and combined with the proper name 'Heterocephalus' it straightforwardly means the taxonomic group named Heterocephalus (a group of rodents). Such genus + name constructions are cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning directly.

Etymology

Genus Heterocephalus comes from two Greek parts: hetero meaning 'different' and cephalus meaning 'head'. Because the naked mole-rat in this group has a very unusual, almost hairless head, the name now refers to this group of burrowing rodents.