biology

Long-tailed dunnart

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 Long-tailed dunnart rather than just read about it. In short: The long-tailed dunnart (Antechinomys longicaudatus) is an Australian dunnart that, like the little long-tailed dunnart, has a tail longer than its body. It is also one of the larger dunnarts at a length from snout to tail of 260–306 mm (10.2–12.0 in) of which head to anus is 80–96 mm (3.1–3.8 in) and tail 180–210 mm (7.1–8.3 in) long.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The long-tailed dunnart (Antechinomys longicaudatus) is an Australian dunnart that, like the little long-tailed dunnart, has a tail longer than its body. It is also one of the larger dunnarts at a length from snout to tail of 260–306 mm (10.2–12.0 in) of which head to anus is 80–96 mm (3.1–3.8 in) and tail 180–210 mm (7.1–8.3 in) long. Hind foot size is 18 mm (0.71 in), ear length of 21 mm (0.83 in) and with a weight of 15–20 g (0.53–0.71 oz).

Distribution and habitat

In Western Australia it is known from the Pilbara and eastern coast to the NE goldfields and Gibson desert (Young Ranges) south to the Nullarbor Plain, to central Northern Territory and western South Australia. Its habitat includes Acacia, rocky screes with hummock grass and shrubs, and tall open shrubland and woodlands.

Social organisation and breeding A nocturnal species, this marsupial has great agility for jumping. When breeding during October–November, it burrows a hole under logs and makes its nests out of grass. The litter is of up to 6 joeys. It is locally considered to be endangered, but the IUCN Red List indicates that it is of least concern.

Diet

It eats invertebrates like ants, beetles and centipedes.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Long-tailed dunnart

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

In research: 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 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: Long-tailed dunnart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dasyuromorphs, Fauna listed on CITES Appendix I, IUCN Red List least concern species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for 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 Long-tailed dunnart in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Long-tailed dunnart in simple terms?

Why does 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 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 Long-tailed dunnart.