It’s ooey. It’s gooey. And it helps some animals survive. Welcome to the wonderful world of slime.
WORD HUNT!
In the article, find:
WORD HUNT!
In the article, find:
Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo
Komodo dragons make their own slime!
A mighty lizard is hunting for its lunch. But this isn’t just any kind of lizard. It’s the Komodo dragon, the largest type of lizard in the world.
The 10-foot-long creature has giant claws, razor-sharp teeth, and a muscular tail. All are powerful weapons against its prey. But the Komodo dragon has another deadly weapon that hides in holes between the lizard’s teeth.
When the lizard lunges at a nearby snake and sinks in its teeth, a goo oozes out of the holes and into the wriggling snake. Within minutes, the snake is dead.
What is this goopy secret weapon? It’s slime!
A mighty lizard is hunting for its lunch. But this isn’t just any lizard. It’s a Komodo dragon. That’s the largest type of lizard in the world.
The Komodo dragon is 10 feet long. It has powerful weapons it can use against its prey: giant claws, sharp teeth, and a strong tail. But the Komodo dragon has another deadly weapon. This weapon is hidden in holes between the lizard’s teeth.
When the Komodo dragon sinks its teeth into a nearby snake, a goo oozes out of the holes. It goes into the snake. Within minutes, the snake is dead.
What is this goopy secret weapon? It’s slime!
Thick and Sticky
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All animals’ bodies produce gooey substances that you might call slime. Some animals make slime that is green and tacky, while other animals’ slime is clear and slippery. But no matter what it looks or feels like, animal slime is usually important for the creature’s survival.
A jellyfish exudes adhesive slime sheets to catch floating food. Birds called swiftlets build nests of hardened spit. A slime trail seeps out of snails to help them find their way home. Parrotfish burp a slime bubble around themselves—so if an eel attacks, the bubble pops, and the fish has time to escape the sticky situation. Slime to the rescue!
All animals’ bodies make gooey substances that you might call slime. Some animals make slime that is green and tacky. The slime of other animals is clear and slippery. No matter what it looks or feels like, animal slime is usually important for the animal’s survival.
A jellyfish exudes adhesive sheets of slime to catch food that floats past. Birds called swiftlets build nests of hardened spit. A slime trail seeps out of snails. This trail helps them find their way home. Parrotfish burp a slime bubble around themselves. If an eel attacks, the bubble pops. This gives the fish time to escape the sticky situation. Slime to the rescue!
Human Slime
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We humans also make slime to stay safe! We produce mucus (aka snot) in our noses and phlegm [flem] in our throats. Every day, our bodies make about 1.5 quarts of slime. (That’s enough to fill more than four soda cans—ew!)
Human slime keeps our noses and throats from drying out. It can also act like a gummy trap for dangerous germs, keeping them from hurting us. That means human slime is full of stuff that can make others sick—which is why you should always cover up your slimy sneezes and coughs. After all, you don’t want to be like a Komodo dragon that uses its slime against others!
We humans also make slime to stay safe! We produce mucus (aka snot) in our noses and phlegm [flem] in our throats. Every day, our bodies make about 1.5 quarts of slime. (That’s enough to fill more than four soda cans. Ew!)
Human slime keeps our noses and throats from drying out. It can also act like a gummy trap for dangerous germs to keep them from hurting us. That means human slime is full of stuff that can make others sick. This is why you should always cover up your sneezes and coughs. After all, you don’t want to be like a Komodo dragon that uses its slime against others!
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph to explain how slime helps animals and humans.
PARAGRAPH POWER!
Write a paragraph to explain how slime helps animals and humans.
This article was originally published in the October/November 2023 issue.
This article was originally published in the October/November 2023 issue.
