From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspeciesspe‧cies /ˈspiːʃiːz/ ●●○ W3 noun (plural species) [countable] HBTYPEa group of animals or plants whose members are similar and can breed together to produce young animals or plants → genus Seven species of birds of prey have been observed. pandas and other endangered species (=ones that may soon no longer exist)► see thesaurus at animalCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + speciesendangered (=used about a species of which there are very few still alive, so that it may soon not exist)The park is a sanctuary for 41 endangered species.protectedElephants are a protected species in Indonesia.rareThe area contains many rare species of plants.commonHere you will see most of the common species of African wildlife.extinct (=no longer existing)About a hundred species are becoming extinct every day.new (=not known about before, or not existing before )A new species of spider has been discovered in a field in Cambridgeshire.native (=having always been in a particular country)Desert broom is a species native to Arizona.bird/animal/plant speciesYou can see many different bird species on the canal.verbsa species is found somewhereThis species is found only in the Southern Hemisphere.a species lives somewhere (=used about animals)Many rainforest species cannot live anywhere else.a species grows somewhere (=used about plants)The species grows wild in Europe.
Examples from the Corpus
species• Then the bans on the cull grenade, released at the same time, came into effect for all species of whales.• The giant panda is an endangered species. There are fewer than a thousand living in the wild.• There are over forty species of bird living on the island.• Scientists have begun to investigate and to identify some of the possible causes, which may differ from species to species.• If world insect species totals are as high as 50 million, this would extend to 28,345 species per insect specialist.• Many species of aquatic plants can exist in very little light.• Clear lakes have more species than do those with muddy water.• Scientists have discovered a new species of Eucalyptus tree.• This sweeping view of our species makes it clear that we must urgently learn from our past to plan for our future.• The achenes of Sagittaria species differ from those of Echinodorus species by not being ribbed.• The large numbers of wild orchids being traded threatens some species with extinction.• The eggs of this species are shed in a packet - that is several stuck together - and sink.endangered species• One among them did a little research and discovered that zebras were an endangered species who could survive only in herds.• The winter-run chinook was listed as a protected species under the state and federal endangered species acts in 1989.• Zoos contribute substantially to the captive banks of many endangered species and those that are less rare.• The birds are included in the same category as tigers on the list of most endangered species.• Maybe the cloning of endangered species is not just a scientific parlor trick.• This region of unusual geological features is home to a number of endangered species, including ocelot and jaguar.• The plan also provided for measures to protect endangered species, protect the ozone layer and increase energy conservation.• Their numbers became so depleted in this country that in 1969 they were placed on the endangered species list.Origin species (1300-1400) Latin “appearance, kind”, from specere “to look (at)” 