science

Markham's frog

Markham's frog is a science 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 Markham's frog rather than just read about it. In short: Markham's frog (Leiopelma markhami) is one of three extinct New Zealand frog species, the others being the Aurora frog (Leiopelma auroraensis) and Waitomo frog (Leiopelma waitomoensis). Subfossil bones used to describe the species were discovered at Honeycomb Hill Cave, South Island, New Zealand, but it once occurred on both South and North Islands.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Markham's frog (Leiopelma markhami) is one of three extinct New Zealand frog species, the others being the Aurora frog (Leiopelma auroraensis) and Waitomo frog (Leiopelma waitomoensis). Subfossil bones used to describe the species were discovered at Honeycomb Hill Cave, South Island, New Zealand, but it once occurred on both South and North Islands. It is estimated that it grew between 50 and 60 mm from snout to vent and it appears to have been a very robust animal.

See also List of extinct animals of New Zealand List of amphibians of New Zealand

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Markham's frog

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Markham's frog claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, 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 Markham's frog 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 Markham's frog 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 Markham's frog

In research: Markham's frog appears in science 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 Markham's frog 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: Markham's frog is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amphibians described in 1987, Amphibians of New Zealand, Endemic amphibians of New Zealand, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Markham's frog 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 Markham's frog in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Markham's frog in simple terms?

Why does Markham's frog matter?

Because it connects several science 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 Markham's frog?

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 Markham's frog.