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Glite Dictionary
Gopherus polyphemus

Gopherus polyphemus

9.9
A burrowing land tortoise from the southeastern United States that makes large burrows and shelters other animals
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊfərəs ˌpɒlɪˈfiːməs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tortuga gopher
  • Conservationists are working to protect the burrows made by Gopherus polyphemus in Florida pine forests.

Examples

  • The Gopherus polyphemus plays an important ecological role by providing shelter for many other animals.

  • The Gopherus polyphemus is listed as a threatened species due to habitat loss.

  • The Gopherus polyphemus is an important species in its habitat.

  • Many Gopherus polyphemuses can be found in Florida.

  • Conservationists are working to protect the burrows made by Gopherus polyphemus in Florida pine forests.

  • The Gopherus polyphemus is listed as a threatened species due to habitat loss.

  • The Gopherus polyphemus plays an important ecological role by providing shelter for many other animals.

Synonyms

gopher
vsGopherus polyphemus
  • US
2 8.9

A large land turtle that digs burrows and lives in them

focuses on the species role in the local ecosystem rather than food use
gopher tortoise
vsGopherus polyphemus
  • US
7.1

A large land turtle that digs deep burrows in the south of the United States

is the formal scientific name for the same species
gopher turtle
vsGopherus polyphemus
  • US
7.7

A large land tortoise that lives in burrows in the southeastern United States

is the formal scientific name rather than an informal name

Surface Forms

Gopherus polyphemus singular
Gopherus polyphemus plural

Morphology

Gopherus + polyphemus

This is a Latin scientific binomial (taxonomic name) serving as a lexical label for a species rather than a compositional English phrase. Even if a learner recognized 'Gopherus' as relating to a gopher tortoise, 'polyphemus' is not an English lexical item and the specific species meaning (burrowing land tortoise of the southeastern US) cannot be derived from the constituents, so it is not transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Gopherus polyphemus brings a simple picture: Gopherus points to its gopher-like digging and polyphemus recalls the giant Polyphemus from Greek myth, so imagine a big, strong digger. That's why the name fits this large 'burrowing' tortoise.