Aquatic Animal Adventures

Animal Traits 1

100

I come to the surface of the water to breathe. I have a long, narrow body and flippers and fins on my back.  I live in social groups called pods and talk to others using echolocation.  I entertain people with my high jumps.  Who am I?

Dolphin

200

I have no bones, blood, or brains.  I swim by opening and closing my body.  My tentacles are poisonous.  Who am I?

Jellyfish

300

My body is made of cartilage.  I do not have any bones.  I have many rows of sharp teeth.  I need to keep swimming in order to breathe, and my curved tail helps me to swim fast.  Who am I?

Shark

400

I have jointed legs and use my claws to attract mates, defend myself, and get food.  I walk sideways and come in all different sizes from less than 1 inch to 12 feet long.  I live on land, but I lay my eggs in the sea.  My young grow in the sea until they are adults when they move to land.  I eat both plants and animals.  Who am I?

Crabs

500

I have a long body divided into 3 parts.  I live on the ocean floor near the shore.  I have eyes on the end of stalks and claws to grab food and tear it apart.  I hide in holes and rocks and, when I sense an animal passing by, I pounce on it.  I eat small animals and plants.  Who am I?

Lobsters

Animal Traits 2

100

I have many rows of tiny, tube-shaped feet that help me move and get food.  I have spines on my skin and up to 40 arms.  I can spit out my stomach and enclose my prey to eat.  Who am I?

Starfish or Sea Star

200

I live most of my life in the ocean, but I begin my life in freshwater.  I travel thousands of miles to and from the ocean by memory, swimming against strong river currents and jump up waterfalls.  Once I return to freshwater to lay my eggs, I do not eat.  I live off the fat stored in my body.  Who am I?

Salmon

300

I have a beak for a mouth and suckers to help me stick to rocks.  I defend myself by squirting a dark cloud to hide myself.  I can change colors and squeeze into small spaces to blend in to my surroundings.  I can also shoot a jet of water from my body and move away quickly. 

Octopus

400

I talk to others by making many different sounds like songs.  I move my tail up and down, not back and forth.  I breathe through my blowhole, and I can stay underwater for up to 90 minutes.  I do not have teeth, and I feed on plants and animals that float in the water.  Who am I?

Whales

500

I am a small fish with a body only about 5 inches long.  I use my tail to hold onto plants so that I don't drift away in the ocean currents.  I cannot swim, but I move by moving my dorsal fin back and forth.  I eat by sucking small animals in through my long snout.  My males carry the eggs in their pouch until they hatch.  Who am I?

Seahorses

Vertebrates

100

This vertebrate has lungs, hair all over its body, is warm-blooded, gives live birth, and can be a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore.

Mammals

200

This vertebrate has feathers, beaks, lays eggs, and has hollow bones.

Birds

300

This vertebrate has scales, gills, lays eggs, is cold-blooded, and lives in water.

Fish

400

This vertebrate has dry scales, 4 feet with 5 claws, lays eggs, is cold-blooded, and lives on land.

Reptiles

500

This vertebrate begins life with gills that transform into lungs, start life as eggs in the water and move to live on land, and they are cold-blooded.

Amphibians

Oceans & Continents

100

Ocean water is made of _______ water, and lakes and rivers are made of ______ water.  

Salt & Fresh

200

I am the ocean that surrounds the continent also known as the South Pole.  Name the ocean and the continent. 

Southern and Antarctica

300

I am the continent that is also an island.  I am surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans.  I am in the Southern Hemisphere.

Australia

400

This is the ocean located between 4 continents.  Two of the continents are North America and Africa.  Name the ocean and the 2 other continents.

Atlantic, Europe, and South America

500

This ocean surrounds the North Pole.

Arctic

Fun Facts

100

There are two different types of animals-one has a backbone and one doesn't. Name them both. 

Vertebrates and Invertebrates

200

There are two aquatic animals that we studied who share traits with humans-they are both mammals.  Can you name both of them?

Dolphin and Whale

300

Several aquatic animals have the ability to lose an arm or claw and grow a new one over time.  What is that ability called?

Regeneration

400

Many of the aquatic animals that we learned about have the ability to hide and blend into their surroundings.  Some change their skin color.  Some can squeeze between rocks in crevices and holes.  Some can even change the texture of their skin to appear like the sand or plants.  What is this called?

Camouflage

500

What do whales have instead of teeth?

Baleen