het·er·o·cer·cal

[het-er-uh-sur-kuhl]
adjective Ichthyology.
having an unequally divided tail, characteristic of sharks, rays, and skates.


Origin:
1830–40; hetero- + Greek kérk(os) a tail + -al1

het·er·o·cer·cal·i·ty [het-er-oh-ser-kal-i-tee] , noun
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World English Dictionary
heterocercal (ˌhɛtərəʊˈsɜːkəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
ichthyol Compare homocercal of or possessing a tail in which the vertebral column turns upwards and extends into the upper, usually larger, lobe, as in sharks
 
[C19: from hetero- + Greek kerkos tail]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Heterocercal is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Example sentences
Sturgeon tails are heterocercal, meaning the upper lobe of the tail is much longer than the lower lobe.
These fish have a heterocercal tail in which the backbone extends into the upper fork of the caudal fin.
The tail is heterocercal with the upper lobe much larger than the rounded lower lobe.
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