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northern casque-headed frog

northern casque-headed frog

9.9
A land frog that digs and lives underground at night with a hard head
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : rana de cabeza en casco del norte
  • The distinctive armored head of the northern casque-headed frog helps protect it from predators.

Examples

  • The northern casque-headed frog is rarely seen during the day, as it spends most of its time underground.

  • Researchers discovered a northern casque-headed frog during their survey of the New Mexico grasslands.

  • The northern casque-headed frog is known for its unique head structure.

  • Many northern casque-headed frogs can be found in Arizona.

  • Researchers discovered a northern casque-headed frog during their survey of the New Mexico grasslands.

  • The northern casque-headed frog is rarely seen during the day, as it spends most of its time underground.

  • The distinctive armored head of the northern casque-headed frog helps protect it from predators.

Synonyms

lowland burrowing treefrog
vsnorthern casque-headed frog
  • Specialized
9.9

A land frog that digs burrows and calls at night in dry grasslands with a very hard head

is the name used more generally rather than the listed common variant
Pternohyla fodiens
vsnorthern casque-headed frog
  • Specialized
9.9

A burrowing frog active at night with a hard head that lives in southwestern United States grassy areas

is the descriptive common name used outside formal taxonomy

Surface Forms

northern casque-headed frog singular
northern casque-headed frogs plural

Morphology

northern + casque-headed + frog

The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'northern' (location) + 'casque-headed' (having a helmet-like/head structure) + 'frog', so the basic meaning 'a northern frog with a helmet-like hard head' is derivable from the parts. However, 'casque' is a rare, technical term and the hyphenated modifier is specialized, so the expression is not fully predictable or immediately accessible to an average B1 learner even if they know common constituents.

Etymology

Northern casque-headed frog gets its name from its very hard, helmet-like head. Casque-headed uses the word 'casque' meaning 'helmet', so the name describes a frog with a tough top of the head that helps it dig and protect itself, and northern shows where it lives.