Catfish

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/catfish

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?Order Siluriformes, comprising over 3,000 recognized species
2. What are catfish whiskers called and what do they do?Catfish have special whiskers called barbels. They help the fish feel and taste food in dark or muddy water.
3. Why can catfish live in almost every kind of water?Catfish are very adaptable. They can survive in rivers, lakes, streams, even salty estuaries and low‑oxygen water.

Chemoreceptors: Sensory cells that detect chemical stimuli, primarily responsible for taste and smell.
Mechanoreceptors: Sensory receptors that respond to mechanical pressure or distortion, detecting touch and vibration.
Benthic: Relating to or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.
Hypoxic: Describing an environment with a significantly lower level of oxygen than normal.