biology

Grey-bellied dunnart

Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart rather than just read about it. In short: The grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer), alternately spelled gray-bellied dunnart, was described by Kitchener, Stoddart and Henry along with the Kangaroo Island dunnart, Gilbert's dunnart and little long-tailed dunnart in 1984. They also described the Mallee ningaui in 1983.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer), alternately spelled gray-bellied dunnart, was described by Kitchener, Stoddart and Henry along with the Kangaroo Island dunnart, Gilbert's dunnart and little long-tailed dunnart in 1984. They also described the Mallee ningaui in 1983. The average body length of a specimen can vary between 130–192 mm with a tail of 65–98 mm and body to anus of 65–95 mm. The olive grey ears have a length of between 17–18 mm. The hind feet have an average length of between 16–17 mm. Its weight varies between 15-25 grams.

Distribution and habitat Found in Western Australia on the coastal south west fringes and associated ranges. From north to south then to east, Gairdner Ranges to Cape Arid National Park, its habitat rarely stretches 100 km (62 mi) inland from the coast. A population was discovered in December 2003 in South Australia during a Department for Environment and Heritage Biological Survey on Eyre Peninsula in the Hincks and Bascombe Well conservation parks. Habitat includes heathy forests, woodland, melaleuca swamplands dense mature heathland. No subspecies is identified.

Social organisation and breeding They are nocturnal and inhabit leaf litter and burrows. Breeding is done in a nest below ground a few centimetres, with 8 born in August for Boulenger Island and October of other areas. Only 1 litter is born.

Diet This dunnart is a nocturnal omnivorous marsupial that eats insects, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians as well as soft fruit.

References

Menkhorst, Peter W. (1995). Mammals of Victoria. Oxford Press. ISBN 0-19-553733-5.

External links Australian Biological Resources Study

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Grey-bellied dunnart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart

In research: Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart 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: Grey-bellied dunnart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dasyuromorphs, IUCN Red List least concern species, Mammals described in 1984, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grey-bellied dunnart in simple terms?

Why does Grey-bellied dunnart 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 Grey-bellied dunnart?

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 Grey-bellied dunnart.