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Glite Dictionary
queen mole rat

queen mole rat

9.2
A larger female in a colony of naked mole rats who is the only one to have babies
  • noun
  • /kwin moʊl ræt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : rata topo reina
  • In each colony, the queen mole rat is responsible for bearing all the young.

Examples

  • The queen mole rat grew significantly larger than the worker mole rats.

  • Researchers observed how the queen mole rat asserts dominance over the other females.

  • The queen mole rat leads the colony.

  • A queen mole rat can weigh significantly more than her subjects.

  • In each colony, the queen mole rat is responsible for bearing all the young.

  • The queen mole rat grew significantly larger than the worker mole rats.

  • A queen mole rat can weigh significantly more than her subjects.

Synonyms

queen
vsqueen mole rat
  • Specialized
60 5.9

The main female in an insect or mole rat colony that produces young

is more specific, naming a larger sole breeder that mates with a few males

Surface Forms

queen mole rat singular
queen mole rats plural

Morphology

queen + mole + rat

The phrase is transparently compositional: 'queen' (the main reproductive female) combined with the animal name 'mole rat' yields the dominant breeding female of a mole-rat colony. This follows common noun-noun and title + species patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Queen mole rat comes from the real animal where one female in a colony acts like a queen. That female grows larger than the other mole rats and is the only one to have babies, so the name means 'the dominant female who produces all the young'.