The Swamp Adventure

The Swamp Adventure

It was a nice day in Florida. Billy was arriving at the swamp. No noise, just peaceful silence. Alligators were waiting for deer to cross the river so they could have lunch. Spiders were getting their webs ready so they could catch flies and have lunch too. They all seemed hungry.

But what was that noise? It sounded like someone was walking in the swamp. But who would want to walk in a swamp? Why it’s Billy. “Eeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhgggg?” Billy said in an angry voice. “I didn’t get a good score on my science test. That doesn’t mean my friends can call me

names and say I’m not smart.” Billy was so mad he threw his test into the river.

When he threw his test into the swamp, he saw alligators. He thought he would get eaten. But then he thought this would be a great way to learn about animal science. He started testing himself. First he climbed a tree so he could get a good view and still be safe. “Hey look, it’s a mother duck and her baby walking together. The baby is following the mother. Imprinting,

that’s how that baby knows who his mother is just like I know mine.”

“WOOO alligators eating deer… Not a pretty sight! Wait a minute, that’s a food chain and an example of a food chain would be praire dogs eating grass, and then cyotes eating the prairie dogs. Then many food chains create a food web.”

“Deer are meat and the alligators are eating the deer that means they are carnivores, and carnivores have sharp teeth that are designed for killing and tearing, and they eat meat.”

“ Listen, a Nutria is eating plants; that means it’s a herbivore! They have teeth designed for eating plants, then an omnivore eats both plants ad meat.”

“Here… it’s an anaconda and it’s eating a caiman! wait a minute anacondas are consumer. A consumer is a organism that eats other organisms.” Billy was surprised he was remembering all this stuff.

Billy walked by the swamp and he saw mushrooms growing along the side. “ Look it’s a decomposer.” Billy could tell because the mushrooms had broken down an organism that was once a tree. All that was left were a few branches and some twigs. The bacteria from the mushrooms had eaten away at the tree.

Billy looked all around and realized he was in the middle of an ecosystem. Billy saw living organisms such as alligators, deer, snakes and mosquitoes. “Cool,” said Billy. He also saw some non-living organisms. There were dead trees, decomposing animals like beavers, turtles and birds. “Gross” said Billy. The smell was really bad. “Get me out of here and let me take the Science test.”