Vulpes macrotis
- noun
- Specialized
:
Vulpes macrotis
- The Vulpes macrotis is often found in desert habitats.
Examples
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Researchers observed the feeding habits of Vulpes macrotis in the desert.
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The Vulpes macrotis is well adapted to arid regions and sandy soils.
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Conservation efforts are helping to protect the habitat of Vulpes macrotis.
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Have you ever seen a Vulpes macrotis in the wild?
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Conservation efforts are helping to protect the habitat of Vulpes macrotis.
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Researchers observed the feeding habits of Vulpes macrotis in the desert.
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The Vulpes macrotis is well adapted to arid regions and sandy soils.
Synonyms
1
7.2
A small gray fox with large ears that lives in western North American deserts and is active at night
A small grey fox from the plains of western North America often called the swift fox
A small grey fox that lives in the open grasslands of western North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
Vulpes + macrotis
This is a Latin binomial: the genus 'Vulpes' clearly indicates a fox, so a learner who knows that constituent can infer it denotes a kind of fox. However 'macrotis' has no dictionary gloss here, so the specific sense ('small gray fox native to the southwestern US') is not derivable from the parts; the taxonomic epithet is opaque without lexical knowledge. Because part of the meaning (type = fox) is transparent but the specific referent and attributes are not, the item is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Vulpes macrotis comes from Latin and Greek words: Vulpes means 'fox' and macrotis means 'big ears'. So the name paints a simple picture of a small desert fox with very large ears that help it hear and survive.