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Animal Themes
Invertebrates
Oceans
 Chitons

Chitons
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   9.95

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    embedded, mollusks, oval-shaped, sensory, singular, terrestrial, zone, species, girdle, horny, gills, self-defense, armor, certainly, nevertheless, nocturnal

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Chitons   
1     Crawling slowly along the seabed, chitons (pronounced "KIE-tons") are best characterized by the eight overlapping calcareous plates that they arrange on their backs. These eight plates, encircled by a girdle, are chitons' shells. At the moment of emergency, they can roll themselves into balls, exposing only their armor, to deter hungry predators.
 
2     The flattened, oval-shaped appearance and means of self-defense of chitons are quite similar to those of woodlice (singular: woodlouse). Nevertheless, the two animals are not the same. Chitons are marine mollusks. They are related to snails, clams, and octopuses. Woodlice are terrestrial (land-dwelling) crustaceans. Their close relatives include lobsters, shrimps, and crabs. Aside from their different choices in residence, a chiton does not have antennae and possesses only a large, muscular foot, whereas a woodlouse has two notable antennae and owns seven pairs of feet!

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