biology

Philydrosaurus

Philydrosaurus 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 Philydrosaurus rather than just read about it. In short: Philydrosaurus is an extinct genus of choristoderan which existed in China during the Early Cretaceous. The type species P. proseilus was named in 2005.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Philydrosaurus is an extinct genus of choristoderan which existed in China during the Early Cretaceous. The type species P. proseilus was named in 2005. Philydrosaurus was found from the Jiufotang Formation and is slightly younger than Monjurosuchus, which was found from the Yixian Formation.

Description Distinct ridges cover the prefrontal and postfrontal bones of the skull, distinguishing Philydrosaurus from related genera. The lower temporal fenestra, usually present as a hole in the back of the skull of choristoderes, is closed by bone in Philydrosaurus. The eye sockets are large and spaced close together, similar to Monjurosuchus and Lazarussuchus. Philydrosaurus is considered more basal than these choristoderes because its eyes are not as closely spaced and face laterally rather than dorsally. The skull is similar in shape to that of Cteniogenys, the most basal choristodere. The shortness of the skull and the laterally facing eye sockets likely represent the ancestral condition for choristoderes, but the closed lower temporal fenestra links the genus with more advanced forms.

Paleobiology A skeleton of Philydrosaurus has been found with associated post-hatchling stage juveniles, suggesting that they engaged in post-hatching parental care.

Phylogeny Phylogeny from the analysis of Dong and colleagues (2020):

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Philydrosaurus

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

In research: Philydrosaurus 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 Philydrosaurus 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: Philydrosaurus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Choristodera, Jiufotang fauna, Prehistoric animals of China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Philydrosaurus 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 Philydrosaurus in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Philydrosaurus in simple terms?

Philydrosaurus is an extinct genus of choristoderan which existed in China during the Early Cretaceous. The type species P. proseilus was named in 2005.

Why does Philydrosaurus 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 Philydrosaurus?

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 Philydrosaurus.