Pāua

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/pua

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 classification?Genus Haliotis, family Haliotidae, comprising four endemic New Zealand species
2. What is the geographic distribution?Endemic to the coastal waters of New Zealand
3. What are Pāua and why do they have rainbow shells?Pāua are large sea snails with flat, ear‑shaped shells. Their inside is lined with nacre, a material made of tiny crystals that reflects light and creates rainbow colors.
4. How do Pāua shells make their shells look shiny and colorful?The shell’s inside is made of many thin layers of calcium carbonate and protein. When light hits these layers, it bends and creates the shifting, iridescent colors we see.

Gastropod: A diverse class of molluscs, including snails and slugs, typically possessing a single, coiled shell.
Nacre: The iridescent inner layer of a mollusc shell, composed of calcium carbonate and organic material, also known as mother-of-pearl.
Endemic: Native or restricted to a certain country or area; found nowhere else.
Biomineralization: The process by which living organisms produce minerals, such as the formation of shells by molluscs.