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Grades 4–5 Unit 4 Structured to Survive Two Talented Swimmers: bit.ly/toptalentepi4 Which animal is Georgia Aquarium’s top talent? You decide! The electric eel takes on the manta ray in a swim-off before a panel of three penguin judges. Take the plunge to check out the shockingly athletic displays by these amazing animals in the “Aquarium’s Top Talent” video presented by Georgia-Pacific. Next Generation Science Standard: Structure and Function, 4-LS1-1 Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior and reproduction. The electric eel and the manta ray are among the most unusual animals seen swimming in warm waters. They both have internal and external body structures that help them survive. The electric eel has gills but gets most of the oxygen it needs by breathing air. Its complex circulatory system allows it to remain underwater for up to 10 minutes before surfacing for air. The manta ray is a filter feeder; it unfurls fins on either side of its WORDS TO KNOW mouth to funnel water through its mouth and out of its gills, trapping the plankton it circulatory system: the body system of blood, eats in its mouth. vessels and the heart external: something that is located on the outside gills: an organ for obtaining oxygen from the water internal: something located on the inside INTRODUCING THE LESSON: 1. Display pictures of a manta ray and an electric eel. (An Internet search will provide you with a variety of choices.) Point out that both of these animals live in warm waters; electric eels can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers of South America, and manta rays swim in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. 2. Explain that animals have internal and external structures that work in different ways to help them survive. Tell students that both the manta ray and the electric eel have gills, which are organs that obtain oxygen from water. Then perform the simple demonstration below to show how gills work. DEMONSTRATION STEPS 1. Mix a cup or more of ground coffee with water in a measuring cup to make a soupy mixture. Tell students the coffee represents oxygen. 2. Use a rubber band to secure a paper towel over a large clear cup, explaining that the paper towel represents fish gills. 3. Pour the coffee mixture into the cup. Have students observe what happens. (The paper towel filters the coffee grounds from the water the same way gills remove oxygen from the water so a fish can breathe.) 3. Tell students that manta rays breathe solely through gills. Electric eels have gills too, but they get only about 20 percent of their oxygen through their gills. They must swim to the surface about every 10 minutes to inhale the rest of the air they need through their mouths. ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC Grades 4–5 Structured to Survive Fishy Research Booklet Next Generation Science Standard: Structure and Function, 4-LS1-1 Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior and reproduction. ESTIMATED LESSON TIME: Two 35–40 minute class periods MATERIALS: copy of the booklet pattern page for each student access to online and print reference materials paper strips scissors tape Background Information: The electric eel’s current is made using three pairs of electric organs. The organs consist of thousands of special cells, or electrocytes, that store power like tiny batteries. The cells discharge to create a burst of electric current. The manta ray’s mouth is on the top of its head instead of the bottom. It has two sets of fins. When hunting for food, it unfurls its cephalic fins. These act as a funnel, guiding water into the manta ray’s open mouth as it moves through the WORDS TO KNOW water. cephalic: of or near the head current: a stream of electric charge organ: a part of an animal made up of cells and tissues and designed for a certain task Lesson: Day 1 1. Divide the class into groups of three or four students, designating each group as a research team for either the electric eel or manta ray. (Make sure there is an equal number of teams studying each animal.) 2. Have students in each research team use the reference materials to identify special body structures (internal and/or external) that help their animal survive in its habitat. Tell students to take notes and be prepared to share their information. ©2014Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC Grades 4–5 Structured to Survive Day 2 1. Pair each manta ray research team with an electric eel research team. Then provide up to 10 minutes for the paired teams to share information. 2. Follow up by having each student make a pocket booklet by following the directions below. Internal structure that helps it survive ___________________________________ ___________________________________ MANTA RAY ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ MANTA RAY DIRECTIONS FOR EACH STUDENT: 1. Cut out the booklet pattern on the bold outer line. Then, starting at the large •, cut on the dotted line between the two pictures. 2. Fold the paper to make two sections as shown. 3. To make two pockets, tape along the outer side and bottom by each photo. (The photos are the front of the pockets.) 4. On the inside of the booklet, write the information you learned about the manta ray and electric eel. Write other interesting facts on paper strips and store the strips in the booklet’s pockets. ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ The male electric eel cares for its offspring. It builds the nest for the female to lay eggs in and then guards the eggs until they hatch. The male also guards the young eels in its mouth for several weeks after they hatch, not feeding itself during that time. ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC ELECTRIC EEL ELECTRIC EEL DID YOU KNOW? ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC MANTA RAY ELECTRIC EEL ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Internal structure that helps it survive: External structure that helps it survive: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Internal structure that helps it survive: External structure that helps it survive: NameDate Specialized structures (4-LS1-1) Body Part or Behavior? Read each statement about manta rays. Then trace the border around each statement according to the color code. Color Code blue—about a body part/structure that helps with survival green—about a behavior that helps with survival 1. When it eats, water flows into a manta ray’s mouth and passes out through its gills. Plates along the gills trap the food in its mouth so only water passes back out. 3. Manta rays often feed at night. That’s when they have a better chance of finding food. 2. The manta ray moves slowly in the water. This allows it to take in a great deal of water and food. 4. The manta ray has two sets of fins. The cephalic fins are about 20 feet wide when they’re spread out, allowing the manta ray to scoop more water toward its huge mouth. 6. Some manta rays feed on their own, barrel-rolling backward to funnel planktonrich water through their mouths and gills. 8. Researchers believe the manta ray may use its cephalic fins to pick up electrical signals from other animals moving in the water. 5. The manta ray’s mouth is located on top rather than at the bottom of its head. This allows more water to enter its mouth as it swims. 7. If plankton is thick, manta rays may form feeding chains. They loop around to form columns, causing the water to spin like a cyclone and pull the plankton closer to them. 9. Manta rays may be black, blue, brown or gray. Their coloring helps camouflage them, letting them blend with their surroundings. 10. Although they tend to stay close to coral reefs, manta rays are known to migrate into the open seas in search of food. Bonus: Are manta rays dangerous for humans? Research to find out! ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC Note to the teacher: Students will need markers, colored pencils or crayons to complete this page. STRUCTURED TO SURVIVE Body Part or Behavior? ANSWER KEY 1.blue 2.green 3.green 4.blue 5.blue 6.green 7.green 8.blue 9.blue 10. green Bonus: Answers will vary. ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC NameDate Structure and function (4-LS1-1) The Shocking Truth About Electric Eels Electric eels generate electricity to survive. This ability helps them defend themselves, catch food and navigate underwater. Learn more about these “shocking” animals below. Predators and Prey The body of an electric eel contains thousands of power cells. These cells are like tiny batteries. They are packed into the tail, which makes up 80% of the body. Eels can generate 600 volts of electricity. That’s five times the power of a wall socket! A thick skin protects eels from shocking themselves. Electric eels are not fierce. They only use their electrical power to defend themselves or to stun prey. The shock does not kill the prey. It just makes the prey stop moving. Eels do not have upper teeth. So they have trouble eating fish that are thrashing around. Other fish are afraid of eels, so eels do not have many enemies. Humans usually avoid them too. People along the Amazon River rarely eat eels because the eels can give off shocks eight hours after death. Luckily, very few humans have ever died from electric eel shocks. However, they could have a heart attack or stop breathing. People also have drowned after being shocked. Other Survival Tactics Electric eels live in muddy streams and ponds. They are almost blind. They navigate underwater by giving off a weak electrical charge in all directions. This helps them detect other fish. It also helps them identify other electric eels and find a mate. Electric eels have gills, but they breathe underwater only 20% of the time. They need to swim to the surface frequently and gulp air though their mouths. This feature helps eels survive in muddy water and during dry season, when there isn’t much oxygen in the water. Answer the questions. 1. Where is the power source in an electric eel’s body?___________________________________________ 2. Why don’t electric eels electrocute themselves?______________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. True or false? Electric eels kill their prey before eating it._______________________________________ 4. Besides defending themselves and catching food, what else do electric eels do with their electrical charge?________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How do electric eels breathe?_____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC STRUCTURED TO SURVIVE The Shocking Truth About Electric Eels ANSWER KEY 1.tail 2. Their thick skin protects them. 3.false 4. navigate underwater and find a mate 5. through their gills and through their mouths ©2014 Georgia-Pacific. Text and design by The Education Center, LLC