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Animal Themes
Invertebrates
Oceans

Bristle Worms

Bristle Worms
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.07

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    assortment, brackish, bristle, despite, duster, gills, majority, opening, residence, scuba, species, devour, underwater, slender, sticking, various

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Bristle Worms   
1     Bristle worms are close relatives of earthworms. They both belong to the same invertebrate phylum of annelids or segmented worms, albeit in two separate classes. Bristle worms make up the class of polychaeta, whereas earthworms form the class of clitellata. With over 8,000 species, polychaeta is, in fact, the biggest class in the phylum.
 
2     Also called polychaetes (pronounced "po-LI-kee-tes"), bristle worms live exclusively underwater. While the majority of them dwell in seas, some establish residence in fresh or brackish water. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Some have long, slender bodies. Some are short and broad. Some wear brightly colored outfits. Some prefer dull costumes. Some grow more than nine feet long. Some are not even an inch.
 
3     Well, given the vast number of species the polychaeta class has, such assortment should not come as a surprise. Of course, despite the differences, there are common features that all bristle worms share.

Paragraphs 4 to 7:
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