Asiatic shrew mole
- noun
:
topo musaraña asiático
- The Asiatic shrew mole burrows through the forest floor in search of insects and worms.
Examples
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Researchers discovered a new population of Asiatic shrew moles in the mountain valleys of China.
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Few people have seen a live Asiatic shrew mole due to its secretive underground lifestyle.
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The Asiatic shrew mole is known for its unique burrowing habits.
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Have you ever seen an Asiatic shrew mole in the wild?
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Few people have seen a live Asiatic shrew mole due to its secretive underground lifestyle.
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Researchers discovered a new population of Asiatic shrew moles in the mountain valleys of China.
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The Asiatic shrew mole burrows through the forest floor in search of insects.
Synonyms
A small mammal like a shrew that lives in the mountains of eastern Asia
A small burrowing animal with a long nose and tail that digs with strong front feet
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is transparently compositional: 'Asiatic' indicates origin (from Asia) and 'shrew mole' combines two animal names to indicate a small mammal resembling both a shrew and a mole. This is a literal, descriptive compound (common cross-linguistically) rather than an idiom, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Asiatic shrew mole uses Asiatic (from Asia), shrew, and mole to paint a simple picture: a tiny animal from Asia that looks a bit like a shrew but digs and lives like a mole as it hunts for insects. So the name tells you it is a small, 'burrowing' and 'insect-eating' mammal.
