The Patient Hunter of the Gulf Rivers: teacher key

Alligator Snapping Turtles, grade 6 edition, written for 6th grade. Alligator snapping turtles live in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Their numbers fell in the late 1960s and 1970s, and hatcheries raise young ones to set free.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Where do young alligator snapping turtles live?
   • In smaller streams (answer)
   • In deep canals
   • In the Gulf of Mexico
2. How does the turtle make fish swim close?
   • It chases them
   • It waves the worm-like part of its tongue (answer)
   • It digs a nest
3. How often does a female generally lay a clutch of eggs?
   • Once a year, and some lay every other year (answer)
   • Every week
   • Ten times a year
4. What caused numbers to fall in the late 1960s and 1970s?
   • Commercial harvest (answer)
   • Algae
   • Cold winters
5. What do hatcheries do?
   • Raise young turtles to set free in rivers (answer)
   • Build nests in the sand
   • Count the algae
6. Why would hatcheries set young turtles free in certain rivers?
   • Turtles were once common there (answer)
   • Fish are not there
   • Algae grows there

Words

• algae: tiny water plants
• lure: draw close
• prey: food animal
• clutch: egg group
• harvest: taking for sale
• hatcheries: egg-raising places