biology

Linnaeus's mouse opossum

Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse opossum rather than just read about it. In short: Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina), also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Range and habitat Its range includes Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and eastern Bolivia.

Key takeaways

Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse opossum to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Linnaeus's mouse opossum from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina), also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae.

Range and habitat Its range includes Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and eastern Bolivia. This opossum is most commonly sighted near forest streams and human habitation. A nocturnal creature, it shelters during the day in a mesh of twigs on a tree branch, a tree hole, or an old bird's nest.

Behavior It eats insects, spiders, lizards, bird's eggs, chicks, and fruits. Linnaeus's mouse opossum has a gestation period of approximately 13 days, and gives birth to 5–10 young. The mouse opossum will "play dead" if it thinks that it is in danger, it will even smell as if it were dead.

Description It is pale beige to grey on its underparts with short, smooth fur. Its face appears to have a black mask on it, its eyes are prominent, and its ears are very upright. Its tail, which females use to carry leaves, is much longer than the rest of its body. Linnaeus's mouse opossum has a body length of approximately 11–14.5 centimetres (4.3–5.7 in), with a tail of approximately 13.5–21 cm (5.3–8.3 in) long. It weighs about 250 grams (8.8 oz).

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Linnaeus's mouse opossum

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse opossum

In research: Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse 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: Linnaeus's mouse opossum is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus, IUCN Red List least concern species, Mammals described in 1758, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse opossum in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Linnaeus's mouse opossum in simple terms?

Linnaeus's mouse opossum (Marmosa murina), also known as the common or murine mouse opossum, is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. Range and habitat Its range includes Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, eastern Ecuador, east…

Why does Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse 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 Linnaeus's mouse opossum.