biology

Handley's short-tailed opossum

Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum rather than just read about it. In short: Handley's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis handleyi) is a species of mammal in the family Didelphidae. It is only known to exist in its type locality in Peru, and more recently in Brazil.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Handley's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis handleyi) is a species of mammal in the family Didelphidae. It is only known to exist in its type locality in Peru, and more recently in Brazil.

Taxonomy The holotype for the species was caught by Jessica Amanzo on February 5, 1997, in Peru. The species is named after Charles O. Handley, Jr. to honor his contribution to the study of neotropical mammals.

Description The opossum is medium-sized and robust. It has short dorsal fur with the hair having pale gray bases and brown tips. It has dull cream underparts with a pale midventral stripe. It has a brownish head and rump, with short, white whiskers. A yellowish to orange throat gland is present. The pinnae are uniformly brown and are furless. It has short, robust limbs.

Distribution and habitat The opossum is known only from Peru and Brazil. The specimens were caught swampy and well-drained forest bordering primary and secondary forests. The height of the tree canopy was 25-30 meters with a dense understory and abundant palms.

Conservation The opossum is assessed as data-deficient by the IUCN. There is lack of information about the animals habitat requirement, population, and habits, although probable threats include selective logging and deforestation in its range.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Handley's short-tailed opossum

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum

In research: Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum 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: Handley's short-tailed opossum is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics IUCN Red List data deficient species, Mammals described in 2007, Marsupial stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Handley's short-tailed opossum in simple terms?

Handley's short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis handleyi) is a species of mammal in the family Didelphidae. It is only known to exist in its type locality in Peru, and more recently in Brazil.

Why does Handley's short-tailed opossum 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 Handley's short-tailed opossum?

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 Handley's short-tailed opossum.