biology

Karusasaurus jordani

Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani rather than just read about it. In short: Karusasaurus jordani, also known commonly as Jordan's girdled lizard and the Namibian girdled lizard, is a species of small, spiny lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Karusasaurus jordani, also known commonly as Jordan's girdled lizard and the Namibian girdled lizard, is a species of small, spiny lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Etymology The specific name, jordani, is in honor of German-born British entomologist Heinrich Ernst Karl Jordan.

Geographic range K. jordani is found in central Namibia.

Habitat The preferred natural habitat of K. jordani is rocky hillsides in savanna, at altitudes of 1,000–1,800 m (3,300–5,900 ft).

Description Adults of K. jordani usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in), and maximum recorded SVL is 12.7 cm (5.0 in). The body is robust, not flattened. Adults are uniformly olive-brown, but juveniles are buff with dark crossbars. Males have only 5–8 femoral pores.

Reproduction The mode of reproduction of K. jordani has been described as viviparous and as ovoviviparous.

References

Further reading Parker HW (1936). "Dr. Karl Jordan's Expedition to South-West Africa and Angola: Herpetological Collections". Novitates Zoologica (Tring) 40: 115–146. (Zonurus jordani, new species, pp. 133–134). FitzSimons VF (1943). The Lizards of South Africa. Pretoria: Transvaal Museum. xv + 528 pp. (Cordylus jordani, new combination). Schleicher, Alfred (2020). Reptiles of Namibia. Windhoek, Namibia: Kuiseb Publishers. 271 pp. Stanley EL, Bauer AM, Jackman TR, Branch WR, Mouton PLFN (2011). "Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 58: 53–70. (Karusasaurus jordani, new combination).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Karusasaurus jordani

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani

In research: Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani 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: Karusasaurus jordani is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Endemic fauna of Namibia, IUCN Red List least concern species, Karusasaurus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Karusasaurus jordani in simple terms?

Karusasaurus jordani, also known commonly as Jordan's girdled lizard and the Namibian girdled lizard, is a species of small, spiny lizard in the family Cordylidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Why does Karusasaurus jordani 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 Karusasaurus jordani?

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 Karusasaurus jordani.