Reading a Reef Fish: teacher key

Barracudas, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Tags, transmitters and blood samples let scientists read the lives of great barracuda. Read what the studies found, how far to trust them and how the species is rated.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How long were the Bahamas barracuda tracked with acoustic transmitters?
   • 15 days
   • 321 days (answer)
   • 2013 days
2. How does the IUCN Red List list the great barracuda?
   • Endangered
   • Vulnerable
   • Least Concern (answer)
3. Why did the United Arab Emirates assessment rate the species Data Deficient?
   • Catch in Abu Dhabi had declined by 96% and the cause was not known (answer)
   • Nobody had ever seen one
   • The fish had grown too large
4. Why do the authors call the link between toxin and home range only a hint?
   • It is based on 20 tracked fish (answer)
   • Barracuda do not swim
   • The study lasted one day
5. What does fidelity mean in: high site fidelity?
   • Keeping to the same place (answer)
   • Swimming fast
   • Hunting at night

Words

• transmitters: signal tags
• fidelity: keeping faith
• ciguatoxin: natural toxin
• assessment: careful review
• spawn: lay eggs