Melursus ursinus
- noun
- Specialized
:
melursus ursinus
- Researchers observed a Melursus ursinus foraging for termites in the Indian forest.
Examples
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The Melursus ursinus is known for its distinctive shaggy coat and white chest mark.
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Conservation efforts are underway to protect the habitat of Melursus ursinus in Sri Lanka.
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The Melursus ursinus is known for its unique diet.
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Did you know that the Melursus ursinus is native to India?
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In the wild, the Melursus ursinus uses its long snout to dig into termite mounds.
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The Melursus ursinus plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance in its habitat.
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You can often see a Melursus ursinus climbing trees to search for food during the day.
Synonyms
A large shaggy bear with a white chest patch that eats insects like termites and ants
A large, hairy bear from south-central Asia that eats ants and termites
Surface Forms
Morphology
Melursus + ursinus
This is a Latin binomial taxonomic name rather than a compositional English phrase; the constituents are not common English words (and 'ursinus' lacks a clear dictionary entry here), so a B1 learner who only knows the listed parts would not infer 'sloth bear'. Scientific names function as arbitrary labels across languages and require subject-specific (Latin/taxonomy) knowledge, making the meaning non-derivable from the surface parts.
Etymology
Melursus ursinus comes from parts that mean mel 'honey' and ursus 'bear'. Scientists saw these bears use their long snouts and strong claws to get honey and insects from trees, so the name points to this 'honey bear' we call the sloth bear today.
