Jellyfish Take Over!

What size is the Nomura's jellyfish?

• three feet and up to 200 pounds

• one foot and up to five pounds

• six feet and up to 450 pounds

• six inches and up to one pound

How does the text describe the Nomura's jellyfish's ability to protect itself?

• The Nomura's jellyfish have stingers all over their body that they use against humans and other sea animals.

• The Nomura's jellyfish crowd around fisherman's nets in large groups and use their weight to sink boats.

• The Nomura's jellyfish attract small fish to hang around their tentacles and scare away other sea animals.

• The Nomura's jellyfish roar loudly like lions so that humans and other sea animals do not come near them.

Read the following sentences. "Some experts think that overfishing is one of the main reasons the population of the Nomura's jellyfish has been increasing. The Nomura's jellyfish eats the same types of plankton as many fish do in the Sea of Japan. Usually, because the jellyfish and fish are competing for food, the two groups stay about the same size. But due to overfishing in the Sea of Japan, there are less fish in the water than there were in the past. This means that the Nomura's jellyfish has a larger food supply. Because of this larger food supply, the Nomura's jellyfish population has increased more and more."

• A. The fish in the water have decreased from poor weather and so the Nomura's jellyfish food supply has increased.

• B. If the Nomura's jellyfish did not eat plankton, their population in the Sea of Japan may not have declined.

• C. The fisherman drop fish bait in the Sea of Japan which gives the Nomura's jellyfish more food to eat.

• D. If humans had not fished in the Sea of Japan, the Nomura's jellyfish population may not have increased.

Fill in the blank: The Nomura's jellyfish eats ______ amounts of plankton.

• massive

• tiny

• moderate

• minimal

The Nomura's jellyfish population has increased because they reproduce very slowly.

• True

• False

What does the word 'ecosystem' mean as used in the passage 'Jellyfish Take Over!'?

• A type of jellyfish

• A group of living things and their environment

• A fishing net

• A government group

What is the definition of the word 'massive'?

• a community of living things that interact with each other for their survival, together with their surrounding environment

• having a very large amount of matter; big and heavy; solid

• to beat or defeat by greater force; destroy

How is the increased population of Nomura's jellyfish harming human life?

• The increased population of Nomura's jellyfish is making them more likely to sting humans and capsize fishing boats.

• The increased population of Nomura's jellyfish is making the water in the Sea of Japan undrinkable for humans.

• The increased population of Nomura's jellyfish is filling up the ocean and not leaving space for boats to move.

• The increased population of Nomura's jellyfish is making it hard for humans to look at the ocean because they glow.

What is the main idea of this text?

• Nomura's jellyfish are one of the largest and most dangerous animals in the world because they have stingers called nematocysts that they use to protect themselves.

• Nomura's jellyfish, a huge jellyfish species, are taking over the Sea of Japan because of human overfishing and the speed at which they reproduce, causing major problems for humans and biodiversity.

• Nomura's jellyfish are one of the largest ocean animals, similar to a narwhal or beluga whale, and they are in danger of extinction because of overfishing by humans.

• Nomura's jellyfish are a very small plant that drifts in the ocean and has tiny mouths all over its body in order to absorb nutrients directly from the water instead of eating.

As used in this excerpt, what does the word "biodiversity" most closely mean?

• efforts to save animal life

• variety of different living things

• amount of water in the ocean

• prime weather conditions