オオアメリカモモンガ

also: おおアメリカももんが

Meanings

northern flying squirrel

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to the species Glaucomys sabrinus. The name is a compound of 大 (large), アメリカ (America), and モモンガ (flying squirrel).

オオアメリカモモンガは北ほく米べいに生せい息そくする。
The northern flying squirrel inhabits North America.
オオアメリカモモンガは夜や行こう性せいの動どう物ぶつだ。
The northern flying squirrel is a nocturnal animal.

Kanji

大large, big
鼯flying squirrel
鼠rat, mouse, dark gray

Related words

モモンガ
モモンガ is the general term for flying squirrels, while オオアメリカモモンガ specifies the northern flying squirrel species.
アメリカモモンガ
アメリカモモンガ refers to the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans), a related species.

Built from

大おお+アメリカモモンガ

Written forms

オオアメリカモモンガ
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling for this animal name; usually written in kana.
大おおアメリカ鼯鼠ももんが
Kanji spelling is rare and may not be widely recognized; the katakana form is standard.
おおアメリカももんが
Hiragana spelling is acceptable but less common than katakana for this loanword-based name.

Etymology

Compound of 大 (large), アメリカ (America), and モモンガ (flying squirrel). The exact derivation is straightforward; the name distinguishes this larger North American species from the smaller southern flying squirrel.