Grouper

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/grouper

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?Family Serranidae
2. What is the diet?Carnivore; opportunistic predator feeding on fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods
3. What makes groupers so big and strong?Groupers have big, sturdy bodies, powerful jaws, and sharp villiform teeth that help them catch and eat large prey.
4. How do groupers change their color?They have special skin cells called chromatophores that let them quickly change patterns and hues to hide, talk to other fish, or surprise their food.

Protogynous Hermaphroditism: A reproductive strategy where individuals are functionally female for part of their lives and then transition to being functionally male.
Trophic Cascade: Indirect effects in a community that are initiated by a predator, altering the abundance of species at lower trophic levels.
Marine Protected Area (MPA): A designated area of the sea where human activities are restricted to protect marine life and habitats.