The Gentle Sea Cow: Learning about Manatees

Learn about manatees, their diet, habitat, and the threats they face in this B1 reading comprehension worksheet.

Title

The Gentle Sea Cow: Learning about Manatees

Seo_intro

Learn about manatees, their diet, habitat, and the threats they face in this B1 reading comprehension worksheet.

Reading Text

Manatees are large, gentle marine mammals often called "sea cows." They live in shallow, warm coastal waters and rivers, mostly in Florida, the Caribbean, and parts of South America. Adult manatees can grow up to four meters long and weigh over 500 kilograms. Despite their huge size, they are very peaceful creatures that spend most of their time eating, resting, and traveling. Manatees are herbivores, meaning they only eat plants. A manatee can eat up to a tenth of its own body weight in water grasses and weeds every day! Because manatees move very slowly and stay near the water's surface, they face several dangers. One of the biggest threats to manatees is getting hit by fast-moving boats. They also suffer from habitat loss and cold water temperatures, as they cannot survive in water colder than 20 degrees Celsius. In recent years, conservationists have been working hard to protect them by creating safe zones where boats must drive slowly. By raising awareness and protecting their environments, we can help ensure that these unique animals continue to survive in our oceans and rivers.

Activities

Vocabulary

Definitions:
  • Text: Related to the sea or ocean.
  • Text: An animal that only eats plants.
  • Text: The natural environment where an animal or plant lives.
  • Text: Something that is a source of danger.
  • Text: A person who works to protect the environment and wildlife.
Items:
  • Label: Marine
    Answer: A
  • Label: Herbivore
    Answer: B
  • Label: Habitat
    Answer: C
  • Label: Threat
    Answer: D
  • Label: Conservationist
    Answer: E
Fill In The Blanks:
  • Before: Dolphins and whales are examples of
    After: animals.
    Answer: marine
  • Before: Because a cow eats grass, it is considered a
    After: .
    Answer: herbivore
  • Before: Deforestation is destroying the natural
    After: of many monkeys.
    Answer: habitat
  • Before: Pollution is a major
    After: to the health of our oceans.
    Answer: threat
  • Before: A
    After: works hard to save endangered animals from extinction.
    Answer: conservationist
Scrambled:
  • Text: large, / Manatees / marine / are / mammals.
    Answer: Manatees are large, marine mammals.
  • Text: only / animals / eat / plants. / These
    Answer: These animals only eat plants.
  • Text: move / They / in / slowly / water. / the
    Answer: They move slowly in the water.
  • Text: must / protect / We / their / habitat.
    Answer: We must protect their habitat.
  • Text: need / to / warm / survive. / Manatees / water
    Answer: Manatees need warm water to survive.

Comprehension

Questions:
  • Text: Manatees usually live in deep, cold oceans.
    Answer: false
  • Text: Manatees can weigh more than 500 kilograms.
    Answer: true
  • Text: Manatees eat fish and small sea creatures.
    Answer: false
  • Text: Fast-moving boats are a danger to manatees.
    Answer: true
  • Text: Manatees move very quickly in the water.
    Answer: false

Written Expression

Questions:
  • Text: Why are manatees often called 'sea cows'?
  • Text: What can people do to help protect manatees?
Examples:

Examples:

  • They are called sea cows because they are large and eat grass.
  • People can drive boats slowly in areas where manatees live.