red-backed mouse

Thân thiện

A red-backed mouse gathers seeds in a sunlit alpine meadow.

Definition

Noun: A small rodent belonging to the genus Myodes (formerly Clethrionomys), characterized by a distinctive reddish-brown fur on its back. It is a type of vole found in various mountainous habitats.

Usage

The term "red-backed mouse" is used to specifically identify this type of vole. It is a common name used in zoology and wildlife contexts. * The red-backed mouse is an important part of the forest ecosystem. * Researchers are studying the population density of the red-backed mouse in the Alps.

Advanced Usage

• The name is often used in scientific and ecological descriptions to distinguish this species from other voles and mice.
• While "mouse" is in its common name, it is technically a vole, not a true mouse (family Muridae).

Variants and Related Words

• Red-backed vole: A more precise common name, as the animal is a vole.
• : The scientific name for the bank vole, a common Eurasian species.
• : The scientific name for the southern red-backed vole, found in North America.

Synonyms

• Red-backed vole (more accurate synonym)

Notes on Meaning

The term specifically refers to the animal's physical trait (red back) and its classification. It is not used metaphorically. The "red-backed mouse" is not a house mouse but a wild vole species.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of several voles of mountainous regions of Eurasia and America

Từ đồng nghĩa

• redback vole