order Sirenia

8.4

A group of large water mammals like manatees and dugongs that eat plants

noun
/ˈɔrdər sɪˈrɪniə/

Specialized

: orden Sirenia

Manatees and dugongs are the living representatives of the order Sirenia.

Examples

Only a few species remain in the order Sirenia due to habitat loss and hunting.
Scientists study the order Sirenia to understand the evolution of aquatic mammals.
The order Sirenia includes fascinating creatures like manatees.
Did you know the order Sirenia consists of herbivorous mammals?
Manatees and dugongs are the living representatives of the order Sirenia.
Only a few species remain in the order Sirenia due to habitat loss and hunting.
Scientists study the order Sirenia to understand the evolution of aquatic mammals.

Synonyms

Sirenia

vsorder Sirenia

Specialized

9.1

Large sea animals that eat plants, like manatees and dugongs

is the formal taxonomic name for that same group

Surface Forms

order Sirenia singular

order Sirenias plural

Morphology

order + Sirenia

The phrase is fully compositional: 'order' as a taxonomic grouping combined with 'Sirenia' (aquatic mammals) yields the meaning 'the taxonomic order that includes Sirenia'. This naming pattern (Order + taxon name) is a regular, cross-linguistic way to label biological groups, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Order Sirenia gets its name from old sailors' tales of 'sirens' or mermaids, because manatees and dugongs seen from far away looked a little like people in the water. So scientists used the word Sirenia for this 'group' of sea mammals, and order Sirenia now means the group of manatees, dugongs and their relatives.