Pandoravirus

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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/pandoravirus

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?Pandoravirus (proposed genus)
2. What is the habitat?Marine sediments, specifically found in coastal regions off Chile and Australia
3. How big is a Pandoravirus compared to other viruses or bacteria?Some Pandoravirus particles can be up to 1.2 micrometers long, almost as big as tiny bacteria. That makes them the third‑largest known viruses.
4. Where can Pandoraviruses be found in the ocean?They live in the sandy or muddy layers near the ocean floor, especially in places with little food like the coast of Chile and in Australian waters.

Oligotrophic: Describing an aquatic environment with very low concentrations of nutrients.
Homologs: Genes or proteins that share a common evolutionary origin.
Phylogenetic Relationships: The evolutionary connections and history between different organisms or entities.