A Name With a Pike in It: teacher key

Barracudas, grade 7 edition, written for 7th grade. There are more than 20 species of barracuda, and the great barracuda is the best known. Read about its name, its speed and its life from nursery to reef.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How long can the northern barracuda grow?
   • Up to 18 inches (answer)
   • More than six feet
   • Up to 50 inches
2. What is the 36 mph figure for the top speed of a great barracuda?
   • A measured speed
   • An estimate for the species (answer)
   • A record from one fish
3. What did fishermen once think about barracudas and pikes?
   • That they lived together
   • That they ate the same food
   • That they were closely related (answer)
4. Some of a barracuda's teeth face backward. How does that help it?
   • It keeps its grip on slippery prey (answer)
   • It makes it swim faster
   • It helps it see
5. What does estimate mean in: the top speed is an estimate?
   • A careful guess (answer)
   • A sure number
   • A kind of fish

Words

• species: kind of animal
• ambush: wait and surprise
• pike: a long fish
• dorsal: on the back
• estimate: careful guess