Grass snake

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/grass-snake

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?Natrix natrix
2. What is the geographic distribution?Widespread across Europe and Asia, from the UK and Scandinavia to Japan
3. What does a grass snake eat?Grass snakes mainly eat frogs and toads, and sometimes small fish. They use their sharp sense of smell and quick swimming to catch their prey.
4. How does a grass snake stay safe when it feels threatened?When scared, a grass snake will try to escape into water or hide in thick grass. If it can't escape, it may hiss loudly, flatten its body, or even pretend to be dead to scare off predators.

Colubrid: A snake belonging to the family Colubridae, the largest snake family, generally characterized by non-venomous or mildly venomous species.
Semi-aquatic: An organism that lives a dual life, spending significant time both on land and in water.
Thanatosis: A behavior where an animal feigns death to avoid predation, often involving immobility and unusual postures.
Oviparous: Reproducing by laying eggs that hatch after being expelled from the body.