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Animal Themes
Invertebrates
Oceans

Nautiluses

Nautiluses
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.75

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    anatomical, calcareous, decommissioned, divider, implode, nuclear-powered, oblivious, premier, secretes, septum, siphuncle, spiral-shaped, submersible, tube-like, buoyancy, withdraw
     content words:    USS Nautilus, Since USS Nautilus, New London, San Juan, Puerto Rico, North Pole, National Historical Landmark, Submarine Force Museum

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Nautiluses   
1     Have you ever felt pain in your ears when you swam to the bottom of the deep end of a swimming pool? As we dive deeper, the pressure around us increases, but the pressure inside us has yet to cope with the change. Because of the difference between the external and internal pressure, our ears hurt. This uncomfortable experience can be avoided if we do not descend too fast and know the trick for equalizing pressure in our ears.
 
2     But how does this have anything to do with nautiluses?
 
3     For humans, diving is a fun but dangerous sport. Feeling the pain in our ears is a mere warning sign that tells us immediately our bodies are having difficulty adjusting to the pressure change. Failing to correct the problem can lead to serious consequences! Aside from the physical discomfort, humans cannot dive very deep. The maximum a recreational scuba diver can go down to is around 130 feet.

Paragraphs 4 to 10:
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