biology

Glirodon

Glirodon is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glirodon rather than just read about it. In short: Glirodon is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Jurassic. It was a relatively early member of the also-extinct order of Multituberculata, suborder "Plagiaulacida".

Key takeaways

Glirodon belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Glirodon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Glirodon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Glirodon is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Jurassic. It was a relatively early member of the also-extinct order of Multituberculata, suborder "Plagiaulacida". These mammals lived in North America during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs". The genus Glirodon has been described by Engelmann G.F. and Callison G. (1999) from a 'gliriform tooth'. The species Glirodon grandis, also described by Engelmann and Callison, has been found in the Upper Jurassic formations of Dinosaur National Monument in Utah (United States). Other than being a large, early American Multituberculate, (see Multituberculata), the nature of this beast is somewhat unclear. It is an "allodontid (two families and the genus Glirodon)", (Kielan-Jaworowska and Hurum, 2001). It had gliriform incisors; incisors with the "enamel reduced to a stripe on the front side." Apparently, this condition evolved several times among Multituberculates. It is based on a portion of snout. "Glirodon retains the plesiomorphic 'plagiaulacidan' ("Plagiaulacida") dental formula and shares with Allodontidae the structure of the upper premolars (Pl.1 fis 2-4). It differs from the Paulchoffatiidae and Plagiaulacidae in having a single-cusped I3," (Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001, p. 401-402). I3 refers to an upper incisor and 'plesiomorphic' means 'basal'. Present in stratigraphic zones 4 and 6.

References Engelmann & Callison, (1999), Glirodon grandis, a new multituberculate mammal from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. Vertebrate Paleontology of Utah, pp. 161–178, in the Utah Geological Survey, (ed. Gillette DD), 8/99. Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals. Paleontology 44, p. 389–429. Most of this information has been derived from [1] MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Basal Multituberculata, an Internet directory.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glirodon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glirodon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glirodon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glirodon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glirodon

In research: Glirodon appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glirodon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glirodon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fossil taxa described in 1999, Mesozoic mammal stubs, Morrison mammals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glirodon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Glirodon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Glirodon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Glirodon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glirodon in simple terms?

Glirodon is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Jurassic. It was a relatively early member of the also-extinct order of Multituberculata, suborder "Plagiaulacida".

Why does Glirodon matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glirodon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glirodon.