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Glite Dictionary
Perognathus flavescens

Perognathus flavescens

9.9
A small pocket mouse that lives on dry open plains in the United States
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Perognathus flavescens
  • The fur of Perognathus flavescens is pale yellow, helping it blend into its sandy habitat.

Examples

  • The Perognathus flavescens is well adapted to the dry grasslands of the central United States.

  • Researchers set up live traps to monitor populations of Perognathus flavescens during the summer months.

  • Look at the Perognathus flavescens burrowing in the sand!

  • The Perognathus flavescens is commonly found in the grasslands of the Midwest.

  • The Perognathus flavescens thrives in open plains where it can find food and shelter.

  • In summer, scientists study the behavior of the Perognathus flavescens in its natural habitat.

  • The small size of the Perognathus flavescens makes it vulnerable to predators in the wild.

Synonyms

plains pocket mouse
vsPerognathus flavescens
  • US
8.0

A small mouse in central United States grasslands that carries food in cheek pouches

is the species found on open plains and does not emphasize cheek pouches

Surface Forms

Perognathus flavescens singular
Perognathus flavescenses plural

Morphology

Perognathus + flavescens

This is a Latin binomial (a taxonomic proper name) rather than a compositional English phrase: the genus name and the species epithet function as a label, and 'flavescens' is not an ordinary English word with a transparent meaning for learners. Even if a learner knew that Perognathus refers to a type of rodent, they would not be able to derive the explanatory sense 'a small species of pocket mouse native to open plains' from the constituents, so the expression is unpredictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Perognathus flavescens may come from Greek and Latin words: Perognathus suggesting a small 'pocket' mouse and flavescens meaning 'yellow'. So the name gives the image of a tiny pocket mouse with pale yellow fur, which fits the species today.