Arthropod

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/arthropod

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 scientific name?Phylum Arthropoda
2. What is the habitat?Occupies virtually all terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments globally, including extreme conditions
3. What makes arthropods special compared to other animals?Arthropods have a hard outer shell called an exoskeleton made of chitin, jointed legs, and a body split into a head, thorax, and abdomen. These features let them move, eat, and protect themselves in many ways.
4. Why do arthropods have to shed their shells?Their exoskeleton doesn’t grow, so arthropods periodically molt, or shed, it to get bigger. This process lets them grow while keeping a strong protective shell.

Tagmata: Distinct body regions in arthropods, such as the head, thorax, and abdomen, formed by fused segments.
Ecdysis: The physiological process of shedding the exoskeleton, commonly known as molting, to allow for growth.
Tracheal System: A network of air tubes in terrestrial arthropods that deliver oxygen directly to tissues.