genus Phascolarctos
- noun
- /ˈdʒɛnəs ˌfæs.kəˈlɑrktos/
- Specialized
- The genus Phascolarctos includes the iconic koala.
Examples
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The genus Phascolarctos consists of the well-known marsupial, the koala.
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The genus Phascolarctos is unique to the forests of eastern Australia.
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Researchers studied the evolutionary history of the genus Phascolarctos using fossil records.
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Did you know that the genus Phascolarctos is unique to Australia?
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The genus Phascolarctos includes the iconic koala, known for its cuddly appearance.
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Researchers studied the evolutionary history of the genus Phascolarctos using fossil records.
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The genus Phascolarctos consists of the well-known marsupial, the koala.
Synonyms
A group of animals that includes the koala and lives in Australia
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the common noun 'genus' (a taxonomic rank) with the proper name 'Phascolarctos', so a learner who knows both words can directly infer it refers to the taxonomic genus called Phascolarctos (which includes koalas). This is a straightforward, compositional naming pattern found across languages and in scientific usage, so the meaning is immediately predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Genus Phascolarctos comes from two Greek words: phaskolē meaning 'pouch' and arktos meaning 'bear'. It literally means 'pouched bear' because koalas carry babies in a pouch and look a bit like small bears, so the name refers to the group that includes the 'koala'.