Sea spider

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-spider

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. How big is the Sea spider?Leg spans from 1 mm to over 70 cm (2.3 ft)
2. What is the scientific name?Pycnogonida
3. What is the habitat?Cosmopolitan distribution across all oceans, from intertidal to abyssal zones
4. What are sea spiders?Sea spiders are tiny marine arthropods with very long legs and a small body. They belong to the class Pycnogonida and are found in oceans all over the world.
5. Why do sea spiders have such long legs?Their legs are so long that their organs, like the digestive tract, can extend into the legs. This helps them move and feed on the ocean floor.

Phylogenetic Placement: Determining an organism's evolutionary relationships and position within the tree of life.
Benthic: Relating to or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.
Proboscis: An elongated, tubular appendage used for feeding, often for piercing and sucking.
Gonochoristic: Having separate male and female individuals in a species.