Sea 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/sea-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?Hydrophiinae (subfamily)
2. What is the habitat?Marine environments, including coastal waters, coral reefs, estuaries, and open ocean
3. What makes sea snakes different from land snakes?Sea snakes live in water and have bodies shaped like fish, with paddle‑like tails and no limbs. They also have very large lungs and can breathe through their skin.
4. How do sea snakes breathe underwater?They have big, elongated lungs that can hold a lot of air, and they also absorb oxygen through their skin, which is rich in blood vessels.

Ovoviviparity: A reproductive strategy where eggs hatch inside the mother's body, and live young are born.
Cutaneous Respiration: The process of absorbing oxygen directly through the skin, supplementing lung respiration.
Osmotic Balance: The maintenance of stable internal salt and water concentrations in the body, crucial for marine life.
Phylogenetic Relationships: The evolutionary history and relationships among different groups of organisms.