Lexic.us

Definition of Insectivora

1. Noun. Shrews; moles; hedgehogs; tenrecs.

Definition of Insectivora

1. n. pl. An order of mammals which feed principally upon insects.

Medical Definition of Insectivora

1. 1. An order of mammals which feed principally upon insects. They are mostly of small size, and their molar teeth have sharp cusps. most of the species burrow in the earth, and many of those of cold climates hibernate in winter. The order includes the moles, shrews, hedgehogs, tanrecs, and allied animals, also the colugo. 2. A division of the Cheiroptera, including the common or insect-eating bats. Origin: NL, from L. Insectum an insect + vorare to devour. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Insectivora

Literary usage of Insectivora

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. On Mammalian Descent; the Hunterian Lectures for 1884: Being Nine Lectures by William Kitchen Parker, Royal College of Surgeons of England (1885)
"DOBSON, GE, MA, FRS, " A Monograph of the insectivora, Systematic and Anatomical. ... Ueber die Classification der insectivora (besonders, ..."

2. The Natural History of Secession by Thomas Shepard Goodwin (1865)
"THE ORDER OF insectivora, OR INSECT-EATERS. THE Order of insectivora comprises mammals which feed wholly or mainly upon worms and insects. ..."

3. Evolution of Mammalian Molar Teeth by Henry Fairfield Osborn (1907)
"The first statements to he made are: (1) while insectivora show a persistent ... Among extinct and modern insectivora, owing apparently to the persistence ..."

4. The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization by Georges Cuvier, Edward Griffith, Charles Hamilton Smith, Edward Pidgeon, John Edward Gray, George Robert Gray (1827)
"Supplement on the insectivora. THIS name, in its literal signification, ... The family of insectivora, as we have seen in the text, is conveniently divided ..."

5. Natural History: A Manual of Zoölogy for Schools, Colleges, and the General by Sanborn Tenney (1870)
"THE ORDER OF insectivora, OR INSECT-EATERS. THE Order of insectivora comprises mammals which feed wholly or mainly upon worms and insects. ..."

6. On the Anatomy of Vertebrates by Richard Owen (1868)
"Alimentary canal of insectivora.—In this, as in preceding orders, the oesophagus is usually prolonged some way into the abdomen before its termination. ..."

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