Eyes, Ears and a Long Tail: teacher key

Leopards, grade 8 edition, written for 8th grade. How a leopard sees, hears and balances. Read about its eyes and whiskers, how it climbs and keeps its food in a tree, what it eats, where it lives, how the Red List lists it and how its cubs begin.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What lines a leopard's eye behind the retina?
   • A layer of fur
   • Tiny whiskers
   • Reflective cells called the tapetum lucidum (answer)
2. While hunting, what does a leopard rely on instead of smell?
   • Its claws only
   • Vision, hearing and whiskers (answer)
   • Its spots
3. In East Africa, what shape are leopard rosettes?
   • Square
   • Circular (answer)
   • Triangular
4. A leopard's eyes give it increased depth perception. Why does that matter to a hunter?
   • It helps it sleep
   • It makes its coat bright
   • It helps with catching fast-moving prey (answer)
5. What does ultrasonic mean in 'ultrasonic squeaks'?
   • Very heavy
   • Beyond hearing (answer)
   • Always the same

Words

• tapetum: eye mirror layer
• retina: eye's back layer
• rosettes: flower-shaped spots
• ultrasonic: beyond hearing