September 10, 2024 Level: Lexile 300L-450L
Look for words that are slanted like this. You can find what they mean at the bottom of the page.
🌍 國際視野從小培養 - Elite Prep 帶孩子輕鬆掌握英語時事 🌟
Whales are amazing animals that live in the ocean. They are the biggest animals on Earth! Whales swim long distances and can dive very deep. Some whales eat tiny sea animals, while others eat big fish. Whales breathe air like us, but they can hold their breath for a long time underwater.
Sometimes, we can see whales jump out of the water. This is called breaching. It's very exciting to watch!
Whales breach for many reasons. They might do it to:
Talk to other whales
See what's above the water
Make a big splash to scare away predators
Remove parasites like barnacles from their skin
Did you know that whales have tiny friends living on their skin? These friends are called barnacles. Barnacles are small sea animals that stick to whales.
Why do barnacles live on whales? They get three good things:
A safe home in the big ocean
A free ride as the whale swims
Lots of food floating in the water
Barnacles can help whales too! They make whales look more like the water around them. This is called camouflage. It helps whales hide from animals that might want to eat them.
When a whale has barnacles, it often means the whale is healthy. Barnacles like to live on whales that swim a lot. But sometimes, whales need to remove some barnacles. That's one reason why they jump and splash!
Barnacles don't hurt whales. They don't eat the whale's skin. But if there are too many barnacles, it can make the whale itchy. It can also make it harder for the whale to swim fast.
Whales and barnacles help each other. Scientists call this a symbiotic relationship. It's like being good friends in the ocean!
Did you know?
A blue whale's tongue can weigh as much as an elephant!
Whales can make very loud sounds that can be heard far away in the ocean.
Some whales, like humpbacks, sing beautiful songs.
Watch This!
Want to see whales and barnacles? Watch this fun video from YouTube! You can see whales swim and jump. You can learn more about barnacles, too. After you watch, tell someone what you saw!
Word ExPlanations:
breaching: when a whale jumps out of the water
predators: animals that hunt and eat other animals
parasites: small animals that live on bigger animals
stick: to attach or hold onto something
camouflage: colors that help animals hide
symbiotic: when two different animals help each other
Elite Thoughts!
Why do whales jump out of the water?
How do barnacles help whales?
What are three interesting things you learned about whales?
Can you think of other animals that help each other?
Prep for more!
Draw a picture of a whale jumping out of the water.
Make a list of five things you know about whales.
Use playdough to make a whale with barnacles.
Pretend you're a whale and tell a story about your day in the ocean.
Find out what kinds of whales live near your country and share with your class.
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