biology

Slevin's mouse

Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse rather than just read about it. In short: Slevin's mouse (Peromyscus slevini), also known as the Catalina deermouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice".

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Slevin's mouse (Peromyscus slevini), also known as the Catalina deermouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice". It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina off the east coast of Baja California Sur, an island with an area of about 40 km2 (15 sq mi), and it is the only native mammal on the island. It is named for Joseph Slevin, a curator at the California Academy of Sciences. Slevin's mouse is a large-bodied mouse, measuring about 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length, of which 10 centimetres (3.9 in) are the tail. They have pale cinnamon fur, mixed with dusky hairs, over the body, head, and flanks, with near-white underparts. They appear very similar to the related California mouse, but are paler in color and slightly larger. However, it may be most closely related to the North American deer mouse. The species is threatened by competition with the introduced Northern Baja deer mouse, which was probably introduced by local fishermen.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Slevin's mouse

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse

In research: Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse 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: Slevin's mouse is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cricetidae stubs, Endangered animals, Endemic fauna of the Baja California Peninsula, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Slevin's mouse in simple terms?

Why does Slevin's mouse 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 Slevin's mouse?

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 Slevin's mouse.