umas
umas — noun
1. a small group of South American lizards with long toes that have a row of tiny s
a small group of South American lizards with long toes that have a row of tiny scales along the edges, which help the animals move across loose sand without sinking.
Researchers discovered a new species of Umas living in the dry forests of northern Peru.
usually capitalised Umas as genus name
The genus Umas belongs to the family Iguanidae, which includes many well-known lizards.
taxonomic classification: genus + family Iguanidae
Dr. Okafor studied the behaviour of Umas in the coastal sand dunes of Brazil.
The museum's collection includes preserved specimens of Umas from several regions of South America.
Scientists compared the DNA of Umas with other iguanid genera to understand their evolutionary history.
文法句型
Umas + singular verb
用法筆記
In scientific writing, the genus name is always capitalised and written in italics (Umas). The plural form is also Umas.
常見錯誤
2. a common name for any lizard of the genus Umas, recognised by the fringe-like sc
a common name for any lizard of the genus Umas, recognised by the fringe-like scales on its toes that allow it to run on sand and soft soil without difficulty.
Paloma spotted a fringefoot darting across the warm sand near the river mouth.
fringefoot as common name for the lizard
The fringefoot's specially adapted toes help it climb sandy slopes that other lizards cannot cross.
adapted toes for sandy terrain
The small fringefoot feeds on insects and seeds found among dry leaves.
The field guide describes the fringefoot as a shy lizard that hides under rocks.
- fringefoot
more common in everyday language; less precise than the genus name
文法句型
a fringefoot
the fringefoot
用法筆記
Fringefoot is not a scientific name but a descriptive common name. It is written in lowercase unless it begins a sentence.