biology

Stenotatus

Stenotatus 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 Stenotatus rather than just read about it. In short: Stenotatus is an extinct genus of cingulate, belonging to the family Dasypodidae. It lived from the Early to the Late Miocene in South America.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Stenotatus is an extinct genus of cingulate, belonging to the family Dasypodidae. It lived from the Early to the Late Miocene in South America.

Description Stenotatus was a small to medium-sized armadillo, not exceeding 4 kilograms (8.8 lb) in weight. It was similar to other Miocene armadillos, from which it was differentiated by its rather long and narrow muzzle, notably the mandible; it had 9 to 10 teeth, simple and oval-shape, with large spaces between the five first teeth. The legs were longer and more specialized than in some of its relatives such as Prozaedyus. The osteoderms composing its mobile armor had three pronounced longitudinal ridges, and it only had a single caudal row of quite narrow piliferous holes.

Classification The first fossils of this animal were originally described in 1887 under the name Euphractus patagonicus. In 1891, Ameghino described the species Stenotatus karaikensis. The two species were later placed in synonymy, the type species of Stenotatus becoming Stenotatus patagonicus. Other species later attributed to this genus are S. hesternus, S. ornatus, S. centralis and S. planus, all coming from Miocene terrains of Argentina. Fossils attributed to Stenotatus have also been found in Bolivia and Chile. Stenotatus is one of the most typical armadillos of the South American Miocene; initially considered similar to the extant genus Euphractus, it was later considered close to the genera Proeutatus and Eutatus. It is however still unclear if those two genera constitute a monophyletic group comprising Stenotatus.

Bibliography Ameghino, F. 1887. Enumeración sistemática de las especies de mamíferos fósiles coleccionados por Carlos Ameghino en los terrenos eocenos de Patagonia austral y depositados en el Museo La Plata. Boletín del Museo La Plata 1: 1-26. Ameghino, F. 1891. Mamíferos y aves fósiles argentinas. Especies nuevas, adiciones y correcciones. Revista Argentina de Historia Natural 1 (4): 240-259. Scillato-Yané, G. J. y Carlini, A. A. 1998. Nuevos Xenarthra del Friasense (Mioceno medio) de Argentina. Studia Geologica Salmanticensia 34: 43-67. A. G. Kramarz, M. G. Vucetich, A. A. Carlini, M. R. Ciancio, M. A. Abello, C. M. Deschamps, and J. N. Gelfo. 2010. A new mammal fauna at the top of the Gran Barranca sequence and its biochronological significance. In R. H. Madden, A. A. Carlini, M. G. Vucetich, R. F. Kay (eds.), The Paleontology of Gran Barranca: Evolution and Environmental Change through the Middle Cenozoic of Patagonia 264–277

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stenotatus

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

In research: Stenotatus 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 Stenotatus 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: Stenotatus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chichinales Formation, Fossil taxa described in 1891, Fossils of Argentina, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stenotatus 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 Stenotatus in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Stenotatus in simple terms?

Stenotatus is an extinct genus of cingulate, belonging to the family Dasypodidae. It lived from the Early to the Late Miocene in South America.

Why does Stenotatus 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 Stenotatus?

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 Stenotatus.