cayman

cayman — noun

1. a medium-sized reptile found in tropical freshwater areas from southern Mexico t

1.名詞B2
釋義

a medium-sized reptile found in tropical freshwater areas from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, with a long snout, short legs, and a scaly body reinforced by bony plates.

例句

The children watched a large cayman slide into the murky river near their village.

collocation: slide into + habitat (river)

The ranger estimated the cayman was over two meters long and weighed a hundred kilograms.

collocation: estimate + size and weight measurement

同義詞
  • caiman

    alternate spelling used in scientific writing; identical meaning

用法筆記

Cayman and caiman are two accepted spellings for the same animal group. Cayman is more common in general British and American usage, while caiman is the standard spelling in scientific contexts. Do not confuse caymans with alligators — caymans belong to a different subfamily within the crocodilian group.

常見錯誤

❌A cayman is the same as an alligator.
✅A cayman is closely related to an alligator but belongs to a different subfamily and is native to Central and South America.
💡alligators are mainly found in China and the southern United States, while caymans live in tropical regions of the Americas.
❌I saw a cayman at the zoo, it was swimming like a fish.
✅I saw a cayman at the zoo swimming slowly near the edge of its pool.
💡caymans are reptiles, not fish, and they breathe air at the surface.