spotted bat
- noun
- /ˈspɑːtɪd bæt/
- US
- The spotted bat is easily identified by the white spots on its dark fur.
Examples
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The spotted bat is rarely seen because it prefers remote canyon habitats.
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Researchers tracked several spotted bats using radio transmitters to study their movement patterns.
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The spotted bat is known for its distinctive appearance.
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Have you ever seen a spotted bat in the wild?
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Researchers tracked several spotted bats using radio transmitters to study their movement patterns.
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The spotted bat is easily identified by the white spots on its dark fur.
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The spotted bat is rarely seen because it prefers remote canyon habitats.
Synonyms
A large bat with white spots and very large ears that lives in the southwestern United States
A large night-flying animal with spotted fur and very large ears
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'spotted' (having spots) modifies 'bat' (the flying mammal), so the meaning 'a bat with spots' is immediately inferable from the constituents. This adjective+noun descriptive pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the basic sense even if they do not know the specific species.
Etymology
Spotted bat: The name spotted bat comes from the animal's look: a dark bat with bright white spots and very large ears, a strong image that helps people recognize it. That's why the name is used for this particular 'bat species'.