Reading and Researching Animal Defense Mechanisms (p46-49)

How does the box turtle use its shell to protect itself?Read “Shells” on pages 46 – 49 of Animal Behavior: Animal Defenses by Christina Wilsdon and answer the questions below:

• It uses the lower section of its shell to close the opening in its shell.
• It pulls its head into the shell and folds its legs in front to form a shield.
• It seals the shell’s opening with a hard plate on the end of the foot.
• It rolls up into an armor-plated ball.

Which detail from the text supports the answer in Part A?

• “Box turtles have hinged plastrons …”
• “A turtle can stay inside its shell for hours, waiting for a predator to give up.”
• “… pulls its head and its muscular foot inside the shell.”
• “… have shells made of eight plates.”

According to the text, why is it important that animals like turtles, tortoises, snails, and clams have shells?

• They spend much or all of their lives in water.
• The shell is basically a sturdy box made of bone and includes the animal’s spine and ribs.
• They can burrow to hide from predators or roll up into a ball.
• a.  The animals can tuck their soft bodies into their shells faster than they can move away from the predator.

Read the sentence from Paragraph 1 of “Shells.”  

A sturdy shell is the primary defense for a variety of very slow-moving animals, such as turtles, tortoises, snails, and clams.

What is the meaning of the word “variety” as it is used in the sentence?

• similar
• species
• assortment
• few

Read the sentence from Paragraph 1 of “Shells.”   A sturdy shell is the primary defense for a variety of very slow-moving animals, such as turtles, tortoises, snails, and clams.

Which detail from the text helps the reader understand the meaning of “variety”?

• “… such as turtles, tortoises, snails, and clams.”
• “These bones include the turtle’s spine and ribs.”
• “Some turtles have just a few scutes embedded in a thick skin on the carapace.”
• “Many bivalves burrow deeply in sand or mud to stay hidden from predators, such as seabirds.”

What is the meaning of the word “tough” as it is used in Paragraph 4 of “Shells”

• tough: able to put up with trouble or hardship
• tough: difficult to do or understand
• tough: not easily influenced
• tough: hard to break; strong; lasting a long time

In paragraph 4, which detail from the text helps the reader understand the meaning of “tough”?

• “Both have shells made of two parts: an upper section called the carapace and a lower section called the plastron.”
• “… the same substance that forms hooves and fingernails.”
• “Some turtles have just a few scutes embedded in a thick skin on the carapace.”
• “It hangs on tightly enough to prevent being washed away by waves.”

According to the text, shells protect some animals for all of the following reasons except:

• Many turtles can pull their heads, tails, and legs partly or fully into their shells.
• Limpets seal the shell’s opening with a hard plate at the end of their foot and use the foot like a suction cup to help grip rocks firmly.
• Some mollusks can partly or fully close their shell around their body.
• Sea turtles have lightweight shells so they can swim away from predators quickly.