Panthera uncia
- noun
- Specialized
:
leopardo de las nieves
- The endangered Panthera uncia inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia.
Examples
-
The Panthera uncia is known for its beautiful spotted coat.
-
Research on Panthera uncia has helped conservationists understand its elusive behavior.
-
Photographers traveled to track the beautiful Panthera uncia in the wild.
-
Did you know that the Panthera uncia can leap up to 50 feet?
-
The endangered Panthera uncia inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia.
-
Research on Panthera uncia has helped conservationists understand its elusive behavior.
-
Photographers traveled to track the beautiful Panthera uncia in the wild.
Synonyms
8
4.8
A large wild cat with thick pale fur and a long tail that lives in Central Asian mountains
7
9.9
A large wild cat with thick pale fur that lives in high mountains
Surface Forms
Morphology
Panthera + uncia
The genus element 'Panthera' signals a group of big cats, so a learner who knows that could infer this is a type of large cat. However, the species epithet 'uncia' is a Latin binomial element (here not a transparent English word) and does not directly yield the common name 'snow leopard', so the precise meaning is not derivable from the parts. Scientific names thus give partial information (taxonomic membership) but not the full, everyday referent.
Etymology
Panthera uncia comes from two parts: Panthera, the group name for big cats, and uncia, an old word for the snow leopard. This name gives a clear picture of the animal — a large, pale mountain cat — so it directly refers to the creature we call the 'snow leopard'.