Rodents: English Vocabulary List

a large rodent with thick legs and no tail that lives near bodies of water, found in South America

"The capybara is a large rodent."

"The capybara is the largest living rodent weighing up to one hundred fifty pounds and living near water."

a large ground rodent that is like a squirrel and eats vegetables, originally found in North America and Eurasia

"The marmot whistled to warn others of danger."

"The marmot hibernates for up to eight months each year surviving on stored body fat accumulated during summer."

a small, desert rodent that looks like a mouse and is often kept as a pet

"The gerbil ran on its exercise wheel all night."

"The gerbil is a social desert rodent that can survive without drinking water by metabolizing moisture from dry seeds."

an animal with sharp needle-like parts on its body and tail, used for protection

"A porcupine raised its quills."

"A porcupine has approximately thirty thousand sharp quills covering its body which detach easily when touched and embed painfully into the skin of predators."

a small ground rodent of the squirrel family with black and white stripes that is found in North America and Siberia

"The chipmunk stuffed its cheeks with sunflower seeds."

"The chipmunk stuffs its expandable cheeks with nuts and seeds to carry back to its underground burrow."

a furry animal with a thick tail that lives in trees and feeds on nuts and seeds

"The squirrel climbed the tree."

"A squirrel stored nuts for winter."

a small furry rodent with a short tail that migrate in large numbers and could be found near the Arctic

"The lemming population fluctuates dramatically each year."

"The lemming population fluctuates dramatically every three to four years causing mass migrations when food becomes scarce."

a small South American rodent with grayish fur and rabbit-like ears

"The chinchilla has extremely soft"

"The chinchilla's dense fur prevents parasites from reaching its skin because the coat is too thick."

a small rodent with a stout body and a short hairy tail that could be found in meadows and uplands

"The vole created a network of tunnels in the grass."

"The vole creates surface runways through grass where it travels hidden from owls and hawks overhead."

a herbivorous semiaquatic rodent that is relatively large, originated in South America

"The coypu is a large"

"The coypu also known as nutria is an invasive rodent that damages wetlands by overgrazing native plants."

a furry rodent of the family of ground squirrels, also known as marmots, that is originated in North America

"The groundhog emerged from its burrow on Groundhog Day."

"The groundhog emerged from its burrow on February second to check for its shadow according to folklore."

a small North American animal that is like a squirrel and can leap between trees by stretching the skin between its limbs

"The flying squirrel glided between trees."

"The flying squirrel glides between trees using a membrane stretched between its wrists and ankles like a parachute."

a small rodent with a furry tail that lives in trees and is known for spending long periods in hibernation

"The dormouse is known for its long periods of hibernation."

"The dormouse can sleep for up to seven months during cold weather curling into a tight ball in its nest."

a herbivorous rodent that lives in the ground, inhabiting the grasslands of North America

"The prairie dog stood on its hind legs to watch for danger."

"The prairie dog stands on its hind legs and barks alarm calls that vary depending on the predator species."

a small animal of the rodent family, similar to a mouse, with a short tail and large cheeks for storing food

"My hamster is small and cute."

"The hamster is sleeping in its cage after eating."

a mid-sized semiaquatic rodent covered with brown fur that has a strong odor

"A muskrat swam in pond."

"The semi-aquatic muskrat, known for its brown fur and strong odor, was spotted swimming near the pond's edge."

a subterranean rodent with a cylindrical body, specialized dental structure, and unique behaviors for navigating and foraging in underground environments

"The kangaroo rat never needs to drink water."

"The kangaroo rat never drinks water obtaining all necessary moisture from the dry seeds it eats."

a medium-sized rodent with a slender body, large ears, and a long tail, typically found in urban and rural areas

"The black rat is thought to have spread the bubonic plague."

"The black rat traveled aboard ships worldwide becoming a global pest that spread the bubonic plague."

a small mammal with a reddish-brown coat, tufted ears, and a long, bushy tail, known for its agility and arboreal lifestyle

"The red squirrel is smaller and more aggressive than the gray squirrel."

"The red squirrel aggressively defends its territory from other squirrels and will chase intruders away loudly."

a small, herbivorous mammal characterized by its round body, short limbs, and short ears

"The pika gathers grass to dry for winter hay."

"The pika gathers wildflowers and grasses drying them in the sun before storing them for winter."

a medium-sized rodent found in Central and South America known for its stocky body, short legs

"The agouti is a rodent from Central and South America."

"The agouti is one of the only animals capable of cracking open the hard shell of Brazil nuts."

a large, nocturnal rodent native to Central and South America, known for its stocky build, dark fur

"The paca is a large"

"The paca is a large spotted rodent that spends daylight hours hiding in burrows near rivers and streams."