science

Pinheirodontidae

Pinheirodontidae 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 Pinheirodontidae rather than just read about it. In short: Pinheirodontidae is a poorly known family of fossil mammals which belong to the informal suborder "Plagiaulacida" within the order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe (predominantly Portugal and Spain), but are so far restricted to isolated teeth, as well as a single lower jaw.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Pinheirodontidae is a poorly known family of fossil mammals which belong to the informal suborder "Plagiaulacida" within the order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of Europe (predominantly Portugal and Spain), but are so far restricted to isolated teeth, as well as a single lower jaw. The family Pinheirodontidae was named by Hahn G. and Hahn R. in 1999, after the locality of Porto Dinheiro, in central west Portugal.

Their closest relatives are believed to be Paulchoffatiidae. Cladogram after Carvalho et al. 2025

References

Hahn & Hahn (1999), "Pinheirodontidae n. fam. (Multituberculata) (Mammalia) aus der tiefen Unter-Kreide Portugals". Palaeontographica Abt. A Vol. 253, pp. 77–222. (Pinheirodontidae n. fam. (Multituberculata) (Mammalia) from the deepest Lower Cretaceous of Portugal). Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), "Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals". Paleontology 44, p. 389-429. Much of this information has been derived from [1] MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Basal Multituberculata, an Internet directory.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pinheirodontidae

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

In research: Pinheirodontidae 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 Pinheirodontidae 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: Pinheirodontidae is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cretaceous Europe, Early Cretaceous extinctions, Early Cretaceous mammals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pinheirodontidae 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 Pinheirodontidae in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Pinheirodontidae in simple terms?

Why does Pinheirodontidae 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 Pinheirodontidae?

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 Pinheirodontidae.