Aquatic animal

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/aquatic-animal

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the classification?Polyphyletic group of aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates
2. What is the primary respiration?Gills for dissolved oxygen; lungs for secondarily aquatic species
3. What are aquatic animals?Aquatic animals are creatures that live in water, like lakes, rivers, and oceans. They need water to survive and grow.
4. How do aquatic animals breathe?Many use gills to pull oxygen from water. Some, like marine mammals, have lungs and must surface for air.

Polyphyletic: A group of organisms that do not share an immediate common ancestor.
Convergent Evolution: When unrelated species develop similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.
Kleptoplasty: The retention and utilization of chloroplasts from ingested algae for photosynthesis.
Oviparous: Reproducing by laying eggs.