34-1 (06)
release dates: August 19-25
TM
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Are You Hooked on the Info?
An aquarist (keeper who cares for the water
animals) at the National Aquarium in Baltimore,
Md., uses a long pole to feed a shark with
a fresh fish from a nearby fish market.
photo courtesy North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
The sand tiger shark usually swims with its mouth open, showing its three rows of teeth.
Sharks don’t have any bones in their bodies, so their teeth aren’t anchored in very well.
They lose some teeth almost every time they eat. When this happens, the next tooth
moves into place. Sand tiger sharks like these are on display at the North Carolina
Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
photo courtesy North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Do you have an aquarium at home
with small swimming fish?
Have you ever visited an aquarium
with bigger exhibits and bigger fish?
Sharks are big attractions at
these aquariums. They need our
attention because so many are being
killed in the wild.
Here are some of the facts we
learned from aquarium experts.
• Sharks should be respected but
not feared. Shark attacks are rare.
More people are killed by lightning
than by sharks.
• There are more than 400 different
species of sharks. They are not all big
and gray. More than half of them
measure 3 feet long or smaller. They
come in many sizes, colors and shapes.
They eat many different foods and live
in many different habitats.
photo by George Grall, National Aquarium in Baltimore
Are You Shark Aware?
Aquarists must be specially trained to
handle the sharks they care for. This sand
tiger shark is being held in a small holding
tank before it is released into an exhibit
tank at the North Carolina Aquarium at
Pine Knoll Shores.
Understanding sharks
Many sharks are at the top of the
oceans’ food chain. They eat other fish
and sea creatures and help keep the
balance of nature. They are important
to the environment of the oceans.
The environmental organization
WildAid estimates that up to 100
million sharks, skates and rays are
caught annually worldwide.
Many are trapped in fishing nets or
caught on lines when fishermen are
fishing for other fish.
Others are killed for meat or skins.
Many are killed for their fins to make
soup. Some are killed for sport.
Sharks are at risk, and many kinds
are endangered or threatened.
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34-2 (06); release dates: August 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
More on Aquariums and Sharks
Special aquariums
photo by George Grall, National Aquarium in Baltimore
In the United States, there are 33
aquariums that have met certain
standards and have been approved
by a special group of experts.*
To meet these standards,
aquariums and zoos have to prove
that they take good care of the
animals in their exhibits.
The zoos and aquariums must
also prove that they have a good
plan to educate their visitors.
Shark egg cases
Most of the 33 aquariums are
near the water on the East or West
coasts. Florida, California and Texas
have the most. However, there is an
aquarium in Colorado and another
in Nevada.
Here is a list of the AZAaccredited aquariums in the U.S.:
Calif. ...................6
Colo. ....................1
Conn. ..................1
Fla. ......................4
Ill. ........................1
Ky. .......................1
La. .......................1
Md. ......................1
N.C. .....................3
N.J. ......................1
Nev. .....................1
N.Y. .....................1
Ore. .....................1
S.C. ......................2
Tenn. ...................2
Texas ..................4
Va. .......................1
Wash. ..................1
*The group is called the Association of
Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Web site
to see: www.aza.org.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
photo by Doug Hayes
Where are they?
A volunteer shows kids visiting the North
Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
a horseshoe crab. Touch tanks often
have mollusks or animals in shells such
as oysters, scallops and whelks. They
might also have snails, sea stars and
horseshoe crabs.
Some female sharks and all
skates secrete a shell around an egg.
They release the egg case into the
ocean.
It hardens and protects the young
until it hatches. Other shark females
give birth to live young.
Some female sharks and all
female rays are usually larger than
males when they mature.
Shark safety pointers
Here’s some advice from the experts.
While shark bites are rare, it’s
good to know these rules:
1. Swim in groups.
2. Leave your shiny jewelry at
home.
TM
Mini Spy is enjoying her visit to an aquarium. See if you
can find: • word MINI • question mark • sailboat
• frog
• ladder
• letter E
• umbrella
• letter D
• book
• ear of
corn
• banana
• feather
• letter A
• duck
• lips
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
3. Swim during the day, not at
dawn, dusk or night.
4. Don’t go in the water with cuts
on your body.
5. Don’t wear swimsuits with
bright, contrasting colors.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
SHARKS
TRY ’N
FIND
Words that remind us of sharks are hidden in the block below. Some
words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used
twice. See if you can find: AQUARIUMS, SWIM, FINS, WATER,
ATLANTIC, TEETH, FISH, GILLS, SANDBAR, NURSE, SHARKS,
OCEAN, PACIFIC, PUPS, RAY, LIVER, SMELL, SKELETON,
SKIN.
S B W C B Z F S N S L L I G P
SHARKS
A M W A O N I H O E V A J U A
ARE COOL!
T O U C T T S A T S S Y P R C
L A C I N E H R E R H S E R I
A B C E R S R K L U S V R C F
N N L I A A Q S E N I K H H I
T I E I Z N U P K L S W I M C
I K H T E E T Q S A N D B A R
C S M E L L C R A Y X S N I F
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34-3 (06); release dates: August 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Go dot to dot and color this
fascinating sea creature.
TM
SHARKS
ARE
INTERESTING!
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Pineapple-Orange Salad
You’ll need:
• 1 (8-ounce) container light sour cream
• 1 (4-ounce) package orange-flavored gelatin
• 1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (8-ounce) container non-dairy topping, thawed
• 1 small jar maraschino cherries
What to do:
1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except
cherries.
2. Divide mixture into small bowls, cover, and place in
refrigerator.
3. When ready to serve, top each serving with a maraschino
cherry. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
photo © The Cousteau Society, www.cousteau.org
Meet Jacques Cousteau
Jacques Cousteau (pronounced Cu-STOW) was
known as “Captain Cousteau.” He was a French
naval officer, ecologist, photographer, explorer and
underwater sea researcher.
He was born in France in 1910. As a young teen
he bought a movie camera and made motion
pictures. His fascination with water led him to try
breathing underwater with a pipe, but without success.
At age 20 he joined the French Naval Academy because of his
love of water and travel. Six years later, he tried using
underwater goggles, marking the beginning of a lifelong devotion
to undersea exploration.
Jacques made many discoveries and invented many underwater
devices, including the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing
Apparatus, or SCUBA. This allowed him to stay longer and go
deeper on his diving quests.
In 1968, he had his own TV series, “The Undersea World of
Jacques Cousteau.” He died in June 1997.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page®
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Flags of Our States Poster
Alabama
• Full-color flags from all
50 states
• Date each state entered
the union
Missouri
TO
C
K
R IGH T
ES
M IN
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
IL
To
L
GRA
IN
1869
O
To
From
ES
S
EQUA
L IV
1890
Wyoming
• Display size is 221/2 inches by
281/2 inches
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Emily: How does a one-eyed monster
applaud after a show?
Everett: It cy-claps!
Esther: How does a monster tell the future?
Evan: With a horror-scope!
Eve: On a soccer team, what position does
a monster play?
Edgar: Ghoulie!
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34-4 (06); release dates: August 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Be Sharp About Sharks
Sharks have rough skin,
which has been used for
sandpaper to scrape
wood and other things that need to
be smooth.
photo by George Grall, National Aquarium in Baltimore
Nurse sharks look like they are swallowing
water as they sit on the bottom of the
ocean or aquarium tank. They are pumping
water out of their gills. Several nurse
sharks live at the North Carolina
Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
Most sharks start
bearing their young
(called pups) at an older
age than bony fish. Female sharks
will be between 2 and 30 or more
years old before beginning to
reproduce. Females also give birth to
fewer young than do bony fish.
Sharks have a skeleton.
But unlike most
animals, a shark’s
skeleton is made of tough, flexible
cartilage, not bone. Cartilage is the
stuff the tip of your nose and your
ears are made of.
Sandbar sharks swim near the bottom of
the sea. They are often caught for their
fins. This one is swimming at the
National Aquarium in Baltimore.
photo by George Grall, National Aquarium in Baltimore
Sharks can detect small
electrical signals that all
animals give off. This
helps them find their prey in dark
waters or hidden from sight under
the sand. It can also help them
find mates.
The sharks that we often
see in aquariums are the
nurse shark, the sand
tiger shark and the sandbar shark.
Aquariums depend on volunteers to help
visitors get the most out of their visit.
Every day, volunteer divers feed the rays
and small sharks at the National
Aquarium in Baltimore.
photo courtesy North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Sharks do have a very
oily liver (oil is lighter
than water). It helps
keep them afloat. But most sharks
swim continuously to keep from
sinking.
Sharks have an amazing
ability to smell prey
from far away. They have
nostrils at the bottom of their snouts.
photo courtesy North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Sharks do not have
swim bladders, which
most bony fish have. A
swim bladder is a kind of gas-filled
float inside the body of a bony fish.
Swim bladders enable fish to control
their depth.
Sharks can hear very
well. They also have a
good system for sensing
vibrations in the water.
photo courtesy the Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder
Sharks have changed
very little in the more
than 400 million years
they have been on Earth. They were
here before any dinosaurs.
A broadnose sevengill shark swims at
the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
This shark can be found in the temperate
waters of the Pacific and South Atlantic
oceans. Some shark species might be
found only in the Atlantic or the Pacific.
Many live in both.
The Mini Page thanks Fishes Research
Specialist Alan Henningsen and the staff of
the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and
aquarist Kevin Mathis and the staff of the
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll
Shores.
Sites to see: www.aqua.org
www.ncaquariums.com
Rays are relatives of sharks. They have
cartilage skeletons, too. The North
Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
has a stingray touch pool. The stingrays’
stinging barbs have been removed.
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in
photo courtesy the Monterey Bay Aquarium/Randy Wilder
Read all about
sharks
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 34.)
release dates: August 19-25
34-5 (06)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
Are You Shark Aware?
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
Supersport: Brady Quinn
This week’s standards:
Height: 6-4
Birthdate: 10-27-84
Weight: 231
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Several All-America quarterbacks have passed
through Notre Dame, but none have passed the football
like current Fighting Irish standout Brady Quinn. The
tall, talented senior already holds several school
passing records, including most yards (8,050).
After a solid sophomore year in 2004, Quinn flourished even
more last season, throwing for almost 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns.
If he keeps that up, and highly ranked Notre Dame has the
predicted big season, Quinn will be among the top Heisman Trophy
candidates.
In the classroom, Quinn also is a success. His major is finance,
and he’s working toward a second degree in political science.
Quinn figures to crunch big numbers throwing the ball again
and keeping those “Irish eyes smiling.”
• Students understand the characteristics of organisms. (Science: Life Science)
• Students understand the relationship between organisms and the environment. (Science:
Life Science)
Activities:
1. Write three new things you learned about sharks from today’s Mini Page. Share your new
knowledge with a family member or a friend.
2. Make your own picture glossary for sharks. Draw each of these parts of a shark separately.
Then write a sentence about each part: a back (dorsal) fin, eyes, gills, mouth and tooth.
3. Draw lines down and across the middle of a piece of paper to create four equal parts. In the
upper left part, draw a picture of a shark. In another part, list the shark’s internal and
external body parts. In a third part, list the ways the shark finds its prey (food). In the last
part, describe the parts of the shark that help it swim through the water.
4. Look through your newspaper to find the following items. Cut them out and paste them on a
piece of paper. Label each item. Find something that (a) swims through the water, (b) is made
of cartilage, (c) has a rough surface and (d) has a strong sense of smell.
5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about a particular type of shark. First
select the type of shark. Use these questions to guide your research: In what parts of the
world is this type of shark found? How large does the shark grow? How many sharks of this
type exist in the world today? What does the shark eat? How dangerous is the shark to
humans? Does this shark exist in aquariums? Why did you select this shark?
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 34.)
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 34, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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