biology

Kinkonychelys

Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys rather than just read about it. In short: Kinkonychelys ("Lac Kinkony Study Area turtle") is an extinct genus of side-necked turtle which existed in Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous Epoch. It contains the single species Kinkonychelys rogersi, named in honor of its discoverer, Raymond R.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Kinkonychelys ("Lac Kinkony Study Area turtle") is an extinct genus of side-necked turtle which existed in Madagascar during the Late Cretaceous Epoch. It contains the single species Kinkonychelys rogersi, named in honor of its discoverer, Raymond R. Rogers. The genus and species are based on UA 9748, a nearly complete skull, which represents the first turtle skull described from the pre-Holocene era in Madagascar. A number of isolated skull and jaw bones have also been assigned to K. rogersi. These specimens were found in rocks of the Maastrichtian-age Maevarano Formation in the Mahajanga Basin of northwestern Madagascar. Another specimen, FMNH PR 2446, is speculated to represent another species, currently known as Kinkonychelys sp., but consensus on its distinction from K. rogersi remains unclear. The Maevarano Formation is a nonmarine rock formation that was deposited under a seasonal, semi-arid climate. A diverse vertebrate assemblage is known from the formation, including fishes, frogs, other turtles, lizards, snakes, crocodyliforms, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals. The rocks of the formation can be subdivided into several members. UA 9748 was found in a claystone bed from an unnamed upper member; this member has also produced abundant and well-preserved fossils of ray-finned fish, crocodyliforms, and dinosaurs. The other specimens assigned to Kinkonychelys were found in the older Anembalemba Formation. Kinkonychelys is classified as a member of the Kurmademydini group in the family Bothremydidae, together with the Late Cretaceous turtles Sankuchemys and Kurmademys, from India. The classification of Kinkonychelys into this group has helped to support the theory that the island of Madagascar and the subcontinent India were connected to each other prior to the end of the late Cretaceous period.

References

External links Kinkonychelys at the Paleobiology Database

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kinkonychelys

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys

In research: Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys 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: Kinkonychelys is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bothremydidae, Extinct turtles, Fossil taxa described in 2009, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Kinkonychelys in simple terms?

Why does Kinkonychelys 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 Kinkonychelys?

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 Kinkonychelys.