Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Animal Themes
Prehistoric Mammals Theme Unit
Sea Serpents or Ancient Whales?

Animal Themes
Animal Themes

Sea Serpents or Ancient Whales?
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Print Sea Serpents or Ancient Whales? Reading Comprehension

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.01

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    balochistnensis, carving, cone-shaped, lion-like, serpent, status, toothy, triangular, wedge-shaped, whale-like, white-capped, snout, stubby, underwater, mammal, backbone
     content words:    Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Hans Egede, Late Eocene, And Basil, United States, Some Southerners, Wouldn't Basil, Senate Resolution

Sea Serpents or Ancient Whales?
By Colleen Messina 		  
1     In 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert thought he saw a lion-like sea monster with glaring eyes. Later, Hans Egede from Denmark said that he saw a terrible sea creature that had a sharp snout and ugly, wrinkled skin. The black creature fell backwards into the sea, and its snake-like body writhed in the white-capped waves. It was as long as the ship!
 
2     Seamen have told stories about sea serpents for centuries. Did they ever exist? About 45 million years ago, a creature that looked like a monster lived in the prehistoric sea. Sailors would probably rather walk the plank than face this frightening creature! Scientists have called this odd mammal an ancient whale.
 
3     This ancient whale had a big name: Rodhocetus balochistnensis. Let's just call her Rhoda for short. She lived in the warm, shallow seas of the Late Eocene period. Rhoda was about 9 feet long. She had four stubby legs. Her ankles and webbed toes made her a good swimmer. She may have been able to slide over land like a modern seal, but scientists don't know that for sure. Her jaws had many sharp teeth. Could she spread them wide in a toothy grin if she scared a sailor? Probably not, even though it is a fun idea.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
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Animal Themes
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Prehistoric Mammals Theme Unit
             Prehistoric Mammals Theme Unit



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