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shovelnose

shovelnose

9.1
A fish or ray with a wide, flat snout that digs in mud for food
  • noun
  • /ˈʃoʊvəlˌnoʊz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pez con hocico en pala
  • Researchers study the shovelnose to understand its habitat and feeding habits better.

Examples

  • The shovelnose ray is easily recognized by its distinctive broad, flattened snout.

  • Uh, there was one particular time where we found a shovelnose ray caught in the bottom of the Surfers Paradise net on the Gold Coast.

  • So this large shovelnose ray was about two to three meters.

  • About 40,000 shovelnose sturgeon were killed in Iowa last week as water temperatures reached 97 degrees.

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  • Fishermen often see the shovelnose sturgeon swimming in the river's shallow waters.

Synonyms

shovelnose catfish
vsshovelnose
  • Specialized
8.2

A large river fish with a flat head and a long pointed nose found in central United States

is a broader term for any animal with that snout shape

Compounds

shovelnose catfish
  • Specialized
8.2

A large river fish with a flat head and a long pointed nose found in central United States

Surface Forms

shovelnose singular
shovelnoses plural

Morphology

shovelnose = shovel + nose (transparent) = shovel + nose

The noun denotes an animal with a nose shaped like a shovel; the compound meaning is directly inferable from its parts.

Etymology

Shovelnose comes from the simple parts shovel ('a tool for digging') and nose ('the front part of the face'). As a name for an animal, it means one with a broad, flattened snout that works 'like a shovel' to find food, which is why fish and rays with this shape are called a shovelnose.