Download A Seahorse of a Different Color

A Seahorse of a
Different Color;
Ponies of the Sea
An Educator’s Guide
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GRADES:!K#3!
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PROGRAM!DESCRIPTION:!This!guide!provided!by!the!Oklahoma!Aquarium!explores!
seahorses!and!how!a!seemingly!defenseless!animal!lacking!teeth,!speed!or!venom!is!
able!to!avoid!becoming!an!easy!meal.!Students!will!learn!what!makes!the!male!
seahorse!different!from!other!fish!fathers.!Students!will!learn!how!seahorses!use!
their!armored!body,!prehensile!tail!and!independent!eyesight!to!avoid!predation.!This!
presentation!will!focus!on!everything!from!the!seahorse’s!diet!to!being!able!to!
recognize!their!close!relatives!like!pipe!and!trumpet!fish.!!
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*Before!your!class!visits!the!Oklahoma!Aquarium*!
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This!guide!contains!information!and!activities!for!you!to!use!both!before!and!after!
your!visit!to!the!Oklahoma!Aquarium.!You!may!want!to!read!stories!about!seahorses!
and!their!relatives!to!the!students,!present!information!in!class,!or!utilize!some!of!the!
activities!from!this!booklet.!
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Table of Contents
A!Seahorse!of!a!Different!Color!Abstract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3!
Educator!Information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4!
Vocabulary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5!
Internet!resources!and!books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6!
PASS!standards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!7!
Accompanying!Activities!
Father!Knows!Best!Quiz!(K#3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!8!
Label!the!Seahorse!(K#3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9!
Seahorse!Maze!(2#3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!
Seahorse!Color!(3)!(K#3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!12!
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A!Seahorse!of!a!Different!Color;!Ponies!of!the!Sea:!ABSTRACT!
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Seahorses!are!vertebrates!and!even!though!they!look!like!miniature!horses!they!are!
actually!fish.!The!seahorse!can!only!be!found!in!saltwater!environments!where!they!
live!in!shallow!warm!water.!The!United!States!only!has!4!species!of!seahorses!in!our!
waters;!however!they!can!be!found!around!all!the!continents.!Seahorses!are!the!
slowest!fish!in!the!ocean.!!There!are!34!different!species!of!seahorse!and!they!range!
in!size!from!1”,!the!dwarf!seahorse!to!the!12”,!giant!Pacific!seahorse.!One!of!the!most!
unique!traits!of!the!seahorse!is!their!unusual!lifecycle!in!which!the!male!carries!the!
eggs!in!his!brood!pouch.!There!are!very!few!male!animals!that!become!pregnant,!and!
only!the!male!seahorse!possesses!a!brood!pouch.!The!seahorse!likes!to!swim!upright!
in!the!water!but!if!you!were!to!turn!them!on!their!side!you!would!notice!that!they!
have!all!the!same!fins!as!other!boney!fish.!The!fins!allow!the!seahorse!to!stay!upright!
in!the!water!column.!Since!the!seahorse!is!slow,!lacks!teeth!and!is!not!venomous,!its!
best!form!of!defense!is!camouflage.!The!seahorse!can!change!color!to!blend!in!with!
its!surroundings.!Some!species!of!seahorse!have!fleshy!appendages!that!mimic!the!
sea!grass!and!algae!they!live!amongst.!The!prehensile!tail!grasps!onto!algae,!grasses!
and!coral!enabling!the!seahorse!to!remain!safe!in!the!shallow!water.!The!seahorse!
has!many!predators!like!large!fish,!sharks!and!sea!turtles;!however!the!bony!plates!
within!the!seahorse’s!body!make!it!a!less!than!appetizing!meal.!Some!of!the!common!
habitats!where!seahorses!are!found!are!coral!reefs,!eel!grass!beds,!and!kelp!forests.!
Kelp!forests!are!very!dense,!so!species!like!the!leafy!seadragon!camouflage!well!
amongst!the!blades!of!kelp.!!!The!seahorse!is!a!carnivore!and!it!hunts!small!
crustaceans!that!it!can!fit!into!its!tiny!toothless!mouth!opening.!Since!seahorses!lack!
a!stomach!they!cannot!hold!onto!their!food!very!long!which!forces!them!to!be!on!a!
constant!search!for!food.!The!seahorses!at!the!aquarium!are!fed!live!brine!shrimp!
several!times!a!day.!A!seahorse’s!eyes!move!independently,!which!means!they!can!
see!in!two!different!directions!at!one!time.!This!enables!the!seahorse!to!keep!a!look!
out!for!predators,!and!food!at!the!same!time.!The!relatives!of!the!seahorse!share!
some!of!the!same!features!as!the!seahorse!such!as,!the!tube!snout!and!tiny!mouth!
opening.!The!seahorse!has!many!relatives!and!some!such!as!the!shrimp!fish,!pipe!fish!
and!trumpet!fish!can!also!be!seen!from!time!to!time!at!the!Oklahoma!Aquarium.!
Seahorses!are!endangered!for!numerous!reasons,!like!pollution!and!habitat!
destruction;!however!the!biggest!threat!to!seahorses!is!their!use!in!Asian!medicines.!
Some!cultures!believe!the!dried!ground!up!bodies!of!seahorses!can!prevent!many!
ailments!such!as!asthma.!The!price!for!1!kilogram!of!dried!seahorse!is!approximately!
1,200!U.S.!dollars.!One!can!easily!see!why!a!struggling!family!in!a!developing!country!
may!capture!seahorses!to!provide!for!their!families.!!
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The!male!seahorse!will!carry!the!baby!seahorses!in!its!pouch!for!
approximately!4!weeks!
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Seahorses!have!1,500!young!at!a!time!
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Seahorses!only!live!4!years!
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The!coronet!on!the!top!of!the!seahorse’s!head!is!as!unique!as!our!fingerprints!
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The!seahorse!is!the!slowest!fish!in!the!ocean!even!though!its!dorsal!fin!beats!
32!times!per!second!
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The!dorsal!fin!propels!the!seahorse!through!the!water!
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The!pectoral!fins!steer!the!seahorse!from!left!to!right!
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The!anal!fin!keeps!the!seahorse!upright!in!the!water!
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Instead!of!scales!the!seahorse!has!boney!rings!of!armor!
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The!smallest!seahorse!is!the!dwarf!seahorse!and!it!only!reaches!1”!
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The!male!pipefish,!a!relative!of!the!seahorse!does!not!have!a!pouch,!instead!it!
holds!its!eggs!under!its!tail!until!they!are!ready!to!hatch!
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Kelp!forests!are!dense!enough!that!they!prevent!large!predators!like!shark!
from!entering!to!hunt!among!their!blades!
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It!takes!3!to!4!hundred!seahorses!to!make!1!kilogram!of!dried!seahorse!
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Most!seahorses!for!the!pet!trade!are!taken!from!the!wild!which!reduces!their!
numbers!
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Fishermen!in!ancient!Rome!thought!that!seahorses!were!the!babies!of!
Neptune’s!horses!
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A!Seahorse!of!a!Different!Color;!Ponies!of!the!Sea:!
Educator!information!
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The!male!seahorse!becomes!pregnant!with!the!female!seahorse’s!eggs!
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VOCABULARY:!
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Prehensile!tailL!a!tail!with!the!ability!to!grasp,!found!in!animals!like!seahorse,!
chameleons!and!monkeys!
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Brooding!pouchL!a!pouch!found!only!in!the!male!seahorse!in!which!the!female!
deposits!her!eggs!
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CarnivoreL!an!animal!that!eats!other!animals!as!their!primary!food!source!
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CirriL!spiny!and!knobby!processes!on!the!seahorse’s!head!
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Dorsal!finL!a!fin!on!the!back!of!a!fish!
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EndangeredL!a!species!in!danger!of!becoming!extinct!
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Pectoral!finL!one!of!a!pair!of!fins!on!a!fish’s!side!toward!the!front!of!its!body!
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Pelvic!finL!one!of!a!pair!of!fins!on!a!fish’s!side!toward!the!back!of!its!belly!
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VertebrateL!animals!that!possess!a!backbone!
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CrustaceanL!an!animal!with!a!hard!exoskeleton!that!range!in!size!from!small!brine!
shrimp!to!lobsters!
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RESOURCES:!
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INTERNET&RESOURCES:!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/seahorse/
www.teachervision.com
www.sfscience.com
www.teachervision.com
www.childstoryhour.com!
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BOOKS!and!REFERENCES:!
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Carle,!Eric!(2004)!Mister!Seahorse.!Philomel!Books!
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Miller,!Sara!Swan!(2002)!Seahorse,!Pipefishes,!and!Their!Kin!Franklin!Watts,!a!
division!of!Scholastic!Inc.!
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Soffer,!Ruth!(1995)!Coral!Reef!Coloring!Book.!Dover!Publications,!Inc.!
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PASS!STANDARDS!MET:!
All!education!programs!and!their!accompanying!materials!at!the!Oklahoma!Aquarium!
will!meet!several!Oklahoma!PASS!objectives!in!various!disciplines.!The!following!list!is!
not!all!inclusive.!
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SCIENCE!
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Science!Processes!and!Inquiry!
• (grade!K)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Process!Standard!1L!Science!Processes!and!Inquiry!
• (grade!1L3)!!!!!!!!!!!Process!Standard!1L!Observe!and!Measure!
• (grade!1L3)!!!!!!!!!!!Process!Standard!2L!Classify!
• (grade!1L3)!!!!!!!!!!!Process!Standard!3L!Experiment!and!Inquiry!
• (grade!1L3)!!!!!!!!!!!Process!Standard!4L!Interpret!and!Communicate!
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Physical!Science!
• (grade!K)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!1L!Physical!Science!
• (grade!1)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!1!L!Properties!of!Objects!&!Materials!
• (grade!2)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!1!L!Properties!&!Interactions!of!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Objects!&!Materials!
• (grade!3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!1L!Properties!of!Objects!and!materials!!!!!!!!
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Life!Science!
• (grade!K)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!2L!Life!Science!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• (grade!1)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!2L!Characteristics!&!Basic!Needs!of!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Organisms!
• (grade!2)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!2L!Life!Cycles!and!Organisms!
• (grade!3)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!2#!Characteristics!and!Basic!Needs!of!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Organisms!and!Environments!
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Earth/Space!Science!
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• (grade!K)!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!3L!Earth!Science!
• (grade!2)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Standard!3L!Properties!and!Stages!of!Earth!&!Sky!!!
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© 2000 – 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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