Beneath Blue Waters

Vocabulary Submersible Oceanographers A craft that operates under water Scientists who specialize in the study of the ocean

Vocabulary Hydrothermal Menagerie Mesopelagic Relating to hot water. A collection of wild animals. Having to do with ocean life at a depth of feet.

Vocabulary Panoramic Prow Starboard Visible over a wide area The forward part of a ships body; the bow The right-hand side of a ship as one faces forward

Vocabulary Bioluminescence Tentacles Crustacean Sparse The emission of light by certain living organisms long, elastic, narrow limbs of an animal, used to feel, grasp, or move One of a large group of hard-shelled animals that have jointed parts and live mostly in the water Not dense or crowded

Vocabulary Gelatinous Undulates Like gelatin; thick and slow to flow Moves in a smooth, wavy motion

Vocabulary Tether Unfathomable A rope or chain that is secured to an object or animal, allowing it a limited range to move about Impossible to measure

Writer’s Craft/Making Inferences What comparison do the authors make that helps readers picture Benthocodon endunculata? Why have so few people seen the Benthocodon in its natural environment? The authors compare Benthocodon endunculata to an Easter bonnet. Only a few people have seen the Benthocodon in its natural environment because it lives in the deepest part of the ocean.

Drawing Conclusions Why do the authors call the creatures in the hydrothermal vent an unimaginable community? The authors call the creatures in the hydrothermal vent an unimaginable community because the creatures are like nothing that they have seen before!

Noting Details/Making Inferences What would you feel, see, and hear if you were aboard Alvin? The caption for the photograph of the ctenophore on page 602 tells us that this creature has not been named yet. What does this tell you about deep sea life? You would Feel: cramped and cold; See: deep sea creatures, scientists operating variety of equipment to carry out experiments, tape recorder hanging by chain to record scientists’ observations, lights, monitors, and cameras; Hear : scientists’ conversation. This creature tells me creatures are still being discovered.

Drawing Conclusions/Compare and Contrast In what ways does a deep sea creature’s large size help it find food? How is the behavior of the biologist on Alvin similar to that of the deep sea creatures he investigates? The deep sea creature’s large size helps it find food by covering a larger area of the ocean floor, making it more likely to find food. The personalities of the biologist and that of the creatures he studies are alike by: the biologist waiting patiently for the deep sea creatures to come into view, just as the creatures do not actively hunt but drift across the ocean floor.

Making Inferences/Noting Details Why is the biologist a little unsettled by the huge jellyfish? Why do the scientists decide not to capture one of the large jellyfish? The biologist was a little unsettled by the huge jellyfish because the jellyfish was so huge and seemed to try and eat Alvin. The scientists decide not to capture the creatures because the creatures are too fragile to bring to the surface for study; some are too big for the containers on Alvin; they have taken pictures of the jellyfish.

Making Inferences What factors might determine how long a dive aboard Alvin can last? How do you think the scientists feel as Alvin resurfaces? Explain. The factors that determine how long a dive aboard Alvin can last are the amount of oxygen and electricity onboard; crew fatigue; other scientists wanting to dive. The scientists would feel satisfied as Alvin resurfaces, they have collected information and are grateful for the chance to go on the dive, since not all can go.