biology

Little long-tailed dunnart

Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed dunnart rather than just read about it. In short: The Little long-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis dolichura) is a dunnart that was, along with Gilbert's dunnart, described in 1984. The length from snout to tail is 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) of which head and body are 6.5–5 cm (2.6–2.0 in) and tail 8.5–10.5 cm (3.3–4.1 in) long.

Key takeaways

Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed dunnart to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Little long-tailed dunnart from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Little long-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis dolichura) is a dunnart that was, along with Gilbert's dunnart, described in 1984. The length from snout to tail is 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) of which head and body are 6.5–5 cm (2.6–2.0 in) and tail 8.5–10.5 cm (3.3–4.1 in) long. Hind foot size is 16–17 mm (0.63–0.67 in), the ear length is 17–19 mm (0.67–0.75 in) and the weight is 10–20 g (0.35–0.71 oz).

Distribution and habitat There are two separate areas of habitation for this species, but no subspecies have been identified. The Western Australia distribution is in the northern Goldfields and Geraldton hinterland, northwest coast, southwest coast and western plateau. The South Australian area includes the coastal areas of the Great Australian Bight on the Nullarbor Plain, Eyre Peninsula west of Port Augusta. Habitat the species prefers include dry sclerophyll, forest, semi-arid woodlands, mallee, (tall, tall open and low open) shrublands and open heath vegetation.

Social organisation and breeding The species is nocturnal with males having a large home range, an adaptation to exploiting various habitats from one season to another. Females breed as early as 5–8 months and then only between March and August. Males can breed at 4–5 months. The joeys are weaned during September–December or when 5 grams. The lifespan of females is approximately two years and males just over one year.

Diet Primarily an insect eater, the little long-tailed dunnart will also consume small reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

References

Menkhorst, P.; Knight, F. (2001). A field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford Press. ISBN 978-0-19-550870-3.

External links Little Long-tailed Dunnart Pictures and facts about the Little long-tailed dunnart Image of the type specimen's skull

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Little long-tailed dunnart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed dunnart

In research: Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed 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: Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed dunnart in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Little long-tailed dunnart in simple terms?

Why does Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed 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 Little long-tailed dunnart.