Amblyrhynchus cristatus
- noun
- Specialized
:
iguana marina
- Researchers observed Amblyrhynchus cristatus basking on volcanic rocks to regulate their body temperature.
Examples
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The Amblyrhynchus cristatus is the only sea-going lizard in the world.
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Tourists to the Galapagos Islands are often fascinated by the unique behavior of the Amblyrhynchus cristatus.
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The Amblyrhynchus cristatus is unique to the Galapagos Islands.
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Many tourists come to see the Amblyrhynchus cristatus in its natural habitat.
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Researchers observed Amblyrhynchus cristatus basking on volcanic rocks to regulate their body temperature.
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The Amblyrhynchus cristatus is the only sea-going lizard in the world.
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Many tourists come to see the Amblyrhynchus cristatus in its natural habitat.
Synonyms
1
7.1
A large dark lizard that lives on Galapagos shores and eats seaweed
Surface Forms
Morphology
Amblyrhynchus + cristatus
This is a Latin binomial (scientific) name: the genus 'Amblyrhynchus' already signals a marine iguana and thus gives partial, relevant information, but the full species sense (shore-dwelling, Galápagos endemic, seaweed-eating) is not a standard English compositional meaning and 'cristatus' is not a common English word. A B1 learner who knew the parts might infer it refers to a type of iguana, but would not reliably derive the precise species-specific meaning from the constituents alone.
Etymology
Amblyrhynchus cristatus comes from old Greek and Latin words: Amblyrhynchus meant 'blunt snout' and cristatus meant 'crested'. That fits the animal: this sea lizard, the 'marine iguana', has a short, blunt nose and a small row of spines on its back, so the name describes how it looks.