science

Spiny weapontail

Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail rather than just read about it. In short: The spiny weapontail (Hoplocercus spinosus) is a species of lizard belonging to the monotypic genus Hoplocercus in the family Hoplocercidae. The species is found in the Cerrado and adjacent Cerrado–Amazon mosaics in Brazil and Bolivia.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The spiny weapontail (Hoplocercus spinosus) is a species of lizard belonging to the monotypic genus Hoplocercus in the family Hoplocercidae. The species is found in the Cerrado and adjacent Cerrado–Amazon mosaics in Brazil and Bolivia.

Taxonomy H. spinosus is quite distantly related to the other members of Hoplocercidae, as it is believed to have diverged from these about 35 million years ago.

Description The spiny weapontail has a total length (including tail) of about 12–15 cm (4.5–6 in). As suggested by its name, it has a short, highly spiny tail (it is superficially similar to Uromastyx, Cachryx and the smaller species in Ctenosaura).

Behavior When disturbed, H. spinosus retreats to its burrow with its tail orientated towards the entrance. It is nocturnal.

Diet H. spinosus preys upon arthropods.

Reproduction H. spinosus is oviparous.

References

Further reading Ávila-Pires TCS (1995). "Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata)". Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 299: 1-706. Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II., ... Iguanidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (genus Hoplocercus, p. 199; species H. spinosus, pp. 199–200). Dirksen L, De la Riva I (1999). "The lizards and amphisbaenians of Bolivia (Reptilia, Squamata): checklist, localities, and bibliography". Graellsia 55: 199-215. Estes R, Pregill G (editors) (1988). Phylogenetic relationships of the Lizard Families: Essays Commemorating Charles L. Camp. Redwood City, California: Stanford University Press. xvi + 632 pp. Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, fasciculus primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller et Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Hoplocercus, new genus, p. 78; H. spinosus, new species, p. 78). (in Latin). Harvey MB (1995). "A preliminary list of the reptiles and amphibians of the El Refugio biological reserve". pp. 21–26. In: Forsyth A (editor) (1995). A report on aspects of biodiversity and conservation potential in El Refugio. Washington, District of Columbia: Conservation International.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spiny weapontail

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail

In research: Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail 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: Spiny weapontail is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fauna of the Cerrado, Hoplocercidae, Lizard stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Spiny weapontail in simple terms?

Why does Spiny weapontail 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 Spiny weapontail?

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 Spiny weapontail.