tube-nosed fruit bat
- noun
- Australian
:
murciélago frutal de nariz tubular
- The tube-nosed fruit bat is easily recognized by its unusually shaped nostrils.
Examples
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Scientists discovered a new species of tube-nosed fruit bat in the rainforest.
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Many tube-nosed fruit bats play a crucial role in pollinating tropical plants.
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The tube-nosed fruit bat is known for its unique nostrils.
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Did you see the tube-nosed fruit bats at the zoo?
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Many tube-nosed fruit bats are important pollinators for tropical flowers.
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Researchers have identified a new species of tube-nosed fruit bat in the dense jungles of Southeast Asia.
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The distinctive nostrils of the tube-nosed fruit bat help it adapt to its feeding habits.
Synonyms
A fruit bat with nostrils that stick out like small tubes
A fruit bat with nostrils shaped like tubes
A fruit-eating bat with tube-shaped nostrils that point outward
A group of fruit bats from New Guinea and nearby islands with tube-shaped nostrils
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'fruit bat' denotes a bat that eats fruit and 'tube-nosed' describes having tube-like nostrils, so a learner who knows 'tube'/'nose', 'fruit' and 'bat' can infer it refers to a bat with tube-shaped nostrils. This follows ordinary English compounding and descriptive morphology (and similar patterns occur in other languages), making the meaning immediately derivable from the parts.
Etymology
Tube-nosed fruit bat gets its name from the bat's strange 'nose': the parts tube and nosed describe nostrils that look like small tubes on a fruit bat. So the name is a simple, literal description that helps you recognise this type of bat.
