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NAME ______________________________________________

WR News Smarts Issue #4
Write in the correct answers for each. Then write the
page you found the answer on.

1.     How many species of squamates are there?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page ______

2.    For how long have many squamate species remained unchanged?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page  ______

3.     What kind of an animal basked under a lamp at the AMNH exhibit?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page  ______

4.     Which snake does the coloring on the Cambell’s milk snake mimic?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page  ______

5.     How many live animals are there at the AMNH exhibit?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page  ______

6. Which squamate scares predators away with its blue tongue?

            __________________________________

            I found this answer on page  ______

Vocabulary Challenge!
Match each new word below with its definition.

____ 1. herpetologist ____ 2. squamates ____ 3. fossil ____ 4. paleontologist ____ 5. cold-blooded ____ 6. camouflage ____ 7. scales ____ 8. species ____ 9. predator

A. unable to regulate body temperature B. a scientist who studies plants and animals that lived a long time ago C. conceal D. a scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians E. the remains of an ancient plant or animal preserved in Earth’s crust F. a diverse group of legged reptiles that have scales G. type of animal H. small, hard, platelike structures I. an animal that eats other animals

 Get Writing! Pick a squamate from the cover story and write a story about its life. Imagine what it would be like to walk on water like a green basilisk, shoot venom at predators like a Gila monster, or disguise yourself like a chameleon. Convey that feeling in your story.

Answer Key: 

1.  8,000
     found on page 2

2. 200 million years    
    found on page 3

3. an emerald tree boa
     found on page 2

4. coral snake
     found on page 3

5. 60
    found on page 2

6. a blue-tongue skink
     found on page 2

Vocabulary Challenge!

1. D
2. F
3. E
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. H
8. G
9. I

Get Writing!

Answers will vary, but we would love to read students’ stories!
You can send them to senior@weeklyreader.com