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Glite Dictionary
Giraffa camelopardalis

Giraffa camelopardalis

8.8
A very tall African animal with a long neck, long legs, and a spotted coat
  • noun
  • /dʒɪˈræfə kæˌmɛləˈpɑrdəlɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Giraffa camelopardalis
  • The Giraffa camelopardalis is recognized for its remarkably long neck, which helps it reach leaves high up in trees.

Examples

  • Did you know that the Giraffa camelopardalis can grow up to 18 feet tall?

  • Wildlife documentaries often focus on the Giraffa camelopardalis as an iconic species of the African savannah.

  • Researchers monitored several Giraffa camelopardalis to study their migration patterns during the dry season.

  • The Giraffa camelopardalis is known for its incredible height.

  • Researchers monitored several Giraffa camelopardalis to study their migration patterns during the dry season.

  • The Giraffa camelopardalis is recognized for its remarkably long neck, which helps it reach leaves high up in trees.

  • Wildlife documentaries often focus on the Giraffa camelopardalis as an iconic species of the African savannah.

Synonyms

giraffe
vsGiraffa camelopardalis
64 1.0

A very tall African animal with a long neck and spots that eats leaves from trees

is the formal scientific name used in zoology and research
Camelopardalis
vsGiraffa camelopardalis
  • Archaic
9.9

An old name for the giraffe

is the current scientific name rather than the older historical label
camelopard
vsGiraffa camelopardalis
  • Archaic
9.9

A tall African animal with a very long neck and spotted fur

is the accepted scientific name used in modern biological classification

Surface Forms

Giraffa camelopardalis singular
Giraffa camelopardalis plural

Morphology

Giraffa + Camelopardalis

Both morphemes directly reference the animal: 'Giraffa' denotes the genus and 'camelopardalis' is an older term for the giraffe, so a learner who knows those constituent meanings can infer this is the species' scientific name. Scientific binomial names are compositional and used cross-linguistically, making the overall meaning transparent to someone familiar with the parts.

Etymology

Giraffa camelopardalis comes from old names that called the animal a 'camel-leopard' because people thought it mixed a camel's long neck and a leopard's spots, and the parts Giraffa and camelopardalis reflect that image. So the scientific name points to the tall, spotted animal we call the giraffe today.