biology

Red-cheeked dunnart

Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked dunnart rather than just read about it. In short: The red-cheeked dunnart (Sminthopsis virginiae) is an Australasian marsupial so called because of the distinctive red hair on its cheek. Its total length is 167–270 mm (6.6–10.6 in); its average body length is 80–135 mm (3.1–5.3 in) with a tail of 87–135 mm (3.4–5.3 in).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The red-cheeked dunnart (Sminthopsis virginiae) is an Australasian marsupial so called because of the distinctive red hair on its cheek. Its total length is 167–270 mm (6.6–10.6 in); its average body length is 80–135 mm (3.1–5.3 in) with a tail of 87–135 mm (3.4–5.3 in). Ear length is 12–13 mm (0.47–0.51 in). Its weight varies between 18 and 75 g (0.63 and 2.65 oz). Its tail is thin and pale pink.

Distribution and habitat The red-cheeked dunnart is distributed in Australia and New Guinea. The nominate subspecies S. v. virginiae occurs in the Queensland around the North Gulf, NE coasts, Mackay to Cape York. Subspecies S. v. nitela inhabits the Kimberley's to the top of Northern Territory. Habitat includes woodlands, open rocky forests, savannah grasslands, swamps, soaks and margins of tropical forests.

Social organisation and breeding The behaviour of the red-cheeked dunnart, like most Sminthopsis species, is not well known. They breed from October to March. Young are gestated for 15 days and weaned at 65–70 days with maturity by 4–6 months.

Diet Its typical diet includes insects and small vertebrates. They quickly learn to avoid the poisonous cane toad.

Subspecies There are three recognised subspecies of the red-cheeked dunnart:

S. v. virginiae, found in Australia S. v. nitela, found in Australia S. v. rufigenis, found in New Guinea

References

Menkhorst, P.; Knight, F. (2001). A field Guide to the Mammals of Australia. Oxford Press. ISBN 0-19-550870-X.

External links Australian Biological Resources Study

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Red-cheeked dunnart

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked dunnart

In research: Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked 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: Red-cheeked dunnart is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dasyuromorphs, IUCN Red List least concern species, Mammals described in 1847, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked dunnart in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Red-cheeked dunnart in simple terms?

Why does Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked 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 Red-cheeked dunnart.