Thunnus

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/thunnus

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?Thunnus
2. What is the lifespan?Varies by species; Atlantic bluefin tuna can live for over 40 years
3. What makes Thunnus tuna so fast and warm-blooded?Thunnus tuna have a special circulatory system called the rete mirabile that keeps their muscles warm. This warm muscle makes them swim faster and stronger.
4. Why do Thunnus tuna travel across whole oceans?They move to cooler, nutrient-rich waters to eat and to warmer tropical seas to spawn. This helps them find food and reproduce each year.

Endothermy: The physiological ability to generate and retain internal body heat, maintaining a stable temperature.
Rete Mirabile: A complex network of blood vessels that facilitates heat exchange, crucial for tuna's warm-bloodedness.
Pelagic: Relating to or living in the open sea, away from coastlines and the seabed.
Overfishing: Fishing at a rate that depletes fish stocks faster than they can naturally replenish.