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  • rat-kangaroo
    rat-kangaroo
    noun
    any of several rabbit-sized, ratlike Australian kangaroos of the subfamily Potoroinae.
  • rat kangaroo
    rat kangaroo
    noun
    any of several ratlike kangaroos of the genera Bettongia, Potorous, Aepyprymnus, etc, found on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania

rat-kangaroo

American  
[rat-kang-guh-roo] / ˈrætˌkæŋ gəˌru /

noun

rat-kangaroos plural
  1. any of several rabbit-sized, ratlike Australian kangaroos of the subfamily Potoroinae.


rat kangaroo British  

noun

  1. any of several ratlike kangaroos of the genera Bettongia, Potorous, Aepyprymnus, etc, found on the Australian mainland and in Tasmania

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of rat-kangaroo

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Amongst the ashes many bones could be seen, particularly the lower maxillary of some species of rat-kangaroo.

From Spinifex and Sand by Carnegie, David Wynford

Yet in as little as 18 months, the researchers noticed behavioral changes in the animals living with cats, which included bilbies and burrowing bettongs, a marsupial also known as a rat kangaroo.

From Science Magazine May 15, 2019

A most unusual family of skilled house-builders are the brush-tailed rat-kangaroos, or Jerboa kangaroos of Australia and Tasmania.

From The Human Side of Animals by Dixon, Royal

The rat-kangaroos have a dainty little brown cousin that lives in Africa, and who is occasionally seen jumping around on the ground, underneath bushes, and near damp springs.

From The Human Side of Animals by Dixon, Royal

These rat-kangaroos have most interesting tails, covered with long hair which forms itself into a crest near the tip.

From The Human Side of Animals by Dixon, Royal

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