biology

Planigale

Planigale 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 Planigale rather than just read about it. In short: The genus Planigale are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The genus Planigale are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae. The genus has long been known to contain several cryptic species. Of the five Planigale species currently recognized, two (P. ingrami and P. maculata) are known species complexes. The seven species currently recognized are:

Paucident planigale, Planigale gilesi Long-tailed planigale, Planigale ingrami Orange-headed Pilbara planigale, Planigale kendricki Common planigale, Planigale maculata New Guinean planigale, Planigale novaeguineae Cracking-clay Pilbara planigale, Planigale tealei Narrow-nosed planigale, Planigale tenuirostris

Species identification

Planigales are the smallest of all marsupials, some members of this carnivorous group weighing less than 5 grams. Being small, nocturnal and secretive, they are rarely seen; however, they are generally common in many parts of the arid interior of Western Australia. Their small size and cryptic nature make the various species difficult to tell apart, with head length and shape, body weight, footpad shape and granulation, fur colour, location, and habitat all being important aids to live identification. The Western Australian Museum has taken a series of footpad photos to aid in identification of Planigale species.

References

Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Planigale

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

In research: Planigale 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 Planigale 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: Planigale is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dasyuromorphs, Marsupial genera, Marsupial stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Planigale 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 Planigale in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Planigale in simple terms?

The genus Planigale are small carnivorous marsupials found in Australia and New Guinea. It is the only genus in the tribe Planigalini of the subfamily Sminthopsinae.

Why does Planigale 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 Planigale?

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 Planigale.