Name: Cause and Effect WEEK 14
Fact and Opinion DAY 5
READ THE PASSAGE Notice how the author uses facts and opinions to describe hagfish. Pay attention
to the causes and effects of a hagfish’s physical traits.
Icky or Interesting?
I’ve talked to a lot of fishermen and they all agree. They believe that the ugliest and
strangest fish of all is the hagfish. Some call the slimy hagfish a true monster of the deep.
I think hagfish are gross but in an interesting way.
For one thing, a hagfish has an unusual body. It is long and slippery like an eel, but it
is not an eel at all. A hagfish has four hearts and two brains. Its eyes are covered with
skin, so it is nearly blind. But it has four thick, whisker-like organs called barbels that
wiggle like fingers out of its snout. These barbels and the hagfish’s single nostril help the
fish find food.
The hagfish’s way of defending itself has resulted in its nickname, “slime eel.” Large
glands run along the sides of the hagfish’s body. When danger is near, the glands secrete
slime. And this is no ordinary goo. A hagfish’s slime has fibers that make it very sticky.
The fish can ooze a bucketful of slime in just seconds!
The slime is a good weapon, but it can also clog the hagfish’s gills. So a hagfish has
to work the slime off its body. It does this by tying itself into a knot! The hagfish can do
this because it has no stiff fins or bones. Its muscles push the knot down its body and
squeeze off the slime.
A hagfish’s eating habits are odd, too. It eats living and dead animals. Its body digests
food very slowly. So a hagfish can go seven months between meals.
SKILL PRACTICE Read each question. Fill in the bubble next to the correct answer.
1. A hagfish can tie its body into a knot 3. Which one states a fact about hagfish?
because . A It is the strangest fish of all.
A its eyes are covered with skin B It has odd eating habits.
B it is covered in slime C The fish is gross, but interesting.
C it has no bones D Its body is long and slippery.
D it has glands along its body
4. A hagfish can go months without eating
2. Which one is an opinion about hagfish? because .
A Hagfish do not eat often. A it is nearly blind
B The slime of a hagfish is very sticky. B it digests its food very slowly
C Hagfish are monsters of the deep. C it can produce slime
D Hagfish can tie themselves into a knot. D it has sense organs called barbels
STRATEGY PRACTICE With a partner, decide which information about the hagfish is important for
understanding why some people think the animal is ugly and strange.
© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3454 • Daily Reading Comprehension 93
[Link] 93 10/19/10 8:01 AM