PICTURE BOOK SCIENCE
, e z e e r f i t An , s e m u t s o C f a Le s
and Other Fab ulou
Fish Adaptations LAURA PERDEW
Illustrated by Katie Mazeika
, e z e e r f i t An , s e m u t s o C f a e L s
and Other Fab ulou
Fish Adaptations LAURA PERDEW
Illustrated by Katie Mazeika
Fish Poem Fish live, hunt, hide, spawn—they’ve adapted. So they thrive. The archer fish sees its prey on a branch: Ready, aim, fire! And the blackspot tuskfish hears the crack of clam shell against the rock. Did it break open? An ocean sunfish enjoys tasty blobs of jellyfish and The hammerhead senses its prey nearby, While the minnows smell the alarm from others—warning! Oh, the fabulous adaptations of fish!
Fish have many fabulous and strange adaptations to help them survive. You might have heard that the ugly anglerfish of the deep, dark ocean has a dangling light in front of its mouth to lure prey. And pufferfish puff up like a balloon when in danger.
But do you know how ice fish in the water around Antarctica keep from freezing solid?
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Antifreeze! It’s not the same stuff used in cars. Blackfin icefish have special proteins in their body. These proteins keep ice from forming in their blood. No one wants ice in their blood.
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Not even fish. Brrrrr.
The black t fin icef he f of i s e h n i o s e h ew s t . An t n g i p ecies t n e arc i v i v z hat can sur e tic w e r f ater, w which is always belo
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African lungfish have adapted to a different challenge— sometimes, there’s no water. Not a problem for these fish! Before the water in their habitat dries up, they burrow. Then, they cocoon themselves in snot-like mucus. All cozy in their slimy cocoon, they snooze until the water returns, sometimes months or
even years!
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Lungfish have both gills, and primitive lungs so they can breathe air.
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A type of goby in Hawaii is another fish out of water. Nopoli rock-climbing gobies are, well, rock climbers. Hey, fish don’t have hands! But they do have two suction cups—one on their belly and one under their mouth. They use these suckers to inch up the rock behind waterfalls to spawn.
are known to s e i b o c g l im b e s e waterfalls a h s ta T ll as 33o feet. 6
hat would b t , n a m u e lik h a e clim Mount Ev r o bing F eres t thre e times !
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e th ea b r ! —o can kip s er kipp n ot The muds but alk— can w
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a n l ir an an d d.
Mudskippers also have to work hard to spawn. They dig a U-shaped tunnel in the mud. At the end is a sealed, air-filled room for the eggs. How do they keep air in the chamber? Male mudskippers gulp fresh air from the open end of the tunnel and breathe it out into the room. They have to go back and forth and back and forth
hundreds of times! 9
Activity Time!
Write a Fabulous Fish Book Fish have many different fabulous adaptations that help them survive in environments all around the Earth. Write about them! Anablep fish
WHAT YOU NEED 6 pieces of white paper, colored pencils or crayons, research materials (books or the internet), help from a grownup
WHAT YOU DO It’s your turn to write a fabulous fish adaptations picture book! Research five fish. For each one, find three adaptations. How does the fish hunt? How do they stay safe? How do they move? How do they spawn? How do they take care of young? Draw one fish per piece of paper. Be sure to put a title at the top of the page so your readers know what fish you researched. Then, write the adaptations that you learned about for each fish. When the pages are done, put Leafy sea drag on them together. Use your last piece of paper as a cover. Add a title and illustrate it. Be sure to include your name as the author! When you are finished, share your picture book with family and friends. If you use a binder or paperclip to keep your book together, you can add pages. What other fabulous fish adaptations can you find? 28
Connections Ocean sunfish
Fish are cold-blooded animals that live in water. They use their gills to breathe. They also have fins to help them swim. Fish are found all around the world, in any body of water. There are more than 30,000 species of fish.
erhead shark m m Ha
The branch of science that studies fish is called ichthyology. If you are talking about more than one fish, you can say “fish” or “fishes.”
ing from a clean blu a es g tre tin t a e g
k rasse er w an cle
Giant m ora ye el
Interested in more fabulous fish adaptations? Check out the sarcastic fringehead. And the monkeyface prickleback. Or the lionfish. Go now!
credit: Silke Baron (CC BY 2.0)
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Glossary adaptation: something about a plant or animal that helps it survive in its habitat.
burrow: to dig. cocoon: a protective covering. cornea: the outer layer of an eye. fertilize: to join female and male cells to make babies. manta ra Giant y
iris: the part of the eye that has color in it. mucus: a slippery substance produced in bodies. parasite: a living thing that feeds off another living thing.
plankton: tiny, floating plants and other organisms.
predator: an animal or plant that
kills and eats another animal proteins.
spawn: to produce eggs or young. stealthy: sneaky.
M
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r ippe k s ud
sh n fi o i L
CHILDREN’S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK
focus on science
AGES: 5–9 GUIDED READING LEVEL: TBD
When might a fancy leaf costume be useful for a fish? And how do fish in Antarctica keep from freezing? In Antifreeze, Leaf Costumes, and Other Fabulous Fish Adaptations, children ages 5 to 9 discover some of the amazing adaptations in the world of fish! Explore underwater habitats and discover ways fish have evolved to avoid the danger that lurks around every waving piece of seaweed. Detailed illustrations, layered text, a hands-on activity, and plentiful back matter spur kids to dive further into the remarkable adaptations of fish. Perfect as a read aloud or early reader for kids who are curious about science!
Antifreeze, Leaf Costumes, and Other Fabulous Fish Adaptations, is part of a set of five books in the Picture Book Science series that explore awesome tales of adaptation.
CHECK OUT THE OTHER TITLES IN THIS SERIES!
PUB DATE: August 2020 PB: 9781619309562, $9.95 HC: 9781619309531, $19.95 5 Book Hardcover Set: 9781619309654, $96.95 eBook: all formats available, $6.99 Specs: 9½ x 9½, 32 pages, color interior with illustrations Ages: 5–9 Grade Level: 1–4
Publicity & Marketing: Co-op funds available Major national galley mailing Amazon Merchandising program National trade advertising, including: - Ingram - Follett School Solutions - Booklist - Baker & Taylor - School Library Journal
Distributed by Baker & Taylor Publisher Services - To order: orders@btpubservices.com, 888.814.0208 For more information about these books, contact Nomad Press: info@nomadpress.net, 802.649.1995