genus Enhydra
- noun
- /ˈdʒɛnəs ɛnˈhaɪdrə/
- Specialized
- The genus Enhydra contains only one living species, the sea otter.
Examples
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Scientists classify sea otters under the genus Enhydra.
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Fossil evidence of the genus Enhydra has been found in both North America and Asia.
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The genus Enhydra includes the adorable sea otters.
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Did you know that the genus Enhydra is unique to the northern Pacific?
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Scientists classify sea otters under the genus Enhydra.
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The genus Enhydra contains only one living species, the sea otter.
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Did you know that the genus Enhydra is unique to the northern Pacific?
Synonyms
A group of sea otters that includes the common sea otter
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'genus Enhydra' is directly compositional: 'genus' names a biological rank and 'Enhydra' is the taxon name, so together they denote the taxonomic group of sea otters. This is a regular, cross-linguistic naming pattern in biology (genus + name), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Genus Enhydra comes from the ancient Greek words en 'in' and hydra 'water'. So the name means 'in water' and suits the sea otters in this genus because they live in the water.