plains pocket gopher
- noun
- /pleɪnz ˈpɑkɪt ˈɡoʊfər/
- US
:
gofre de bolsillo de las llanuras
- The plains pocket gopher spends much of its life underground, digging intricate tunnel systems.
Examples
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Farmers often notice mounds of soil, a sign that a plains pocket gopher is active in the area.
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Unlike other species, the plains pocket gopher prefers the loose, sandy soils of grassland regions.
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The plains pocket gopher is a fascinating creature.
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Look at that plains pocket gopher carrying food!
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Farmers often notice mounds of soil, a sign that a plains pocket gopher is active in the area.
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The plains pocket gopher spends much of its life underground, digging intricate tunnel systems.
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Unlike other species, the plains pocket gopher prefers the loose, sandy soils of grassland regions.
Synonyms
A small mammal that digs burrows and lives in the grasslands of central North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is fully compositional: 'plains' indicates the habitat, 'pocket' refers to pouch-like cheek pouches, and 'gopher' names the rodent, so together they describe a type of gopher found on the plains with pocket-like pouches. This follows a common noun-modifier pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily interpret.
Etymology
Plains pocket gopher gets its name from two clear images: plains for the flat grassland where it lives and pocket for the fur-lined cheek pouches it uses to carry food. So plains pocket gopher simply means a gopher from the plains that keeps food in its 'pockets'.
