Silent Displays Multiple Choices

Lionfish do not rely on loud sounds to communicate, but they still have several ways to send messages to other fish. This passage explains how lionfish use fin spreading, body position, swimming patterns, and coordinated movement to signal danger, defend territory, attract mates, or work together while hunting. Readers learn that a lionfish may flare its fins to look larger when threatened and that pairs may move in synchronized ways during courtship. The reading shows how body language can be just as important as sound in the animal world.

This worksheet helps students practice making inferences by connecting visible behaviors with their likely meanings. They work on identifying examples, interpreting signals, and explaining how communication supports hunting, mating, and survival. Vocabulary related to signals, courtship, territory, body language, and behavior develops naturally through the passage. It’s a strong nonfiction reading for helping students understand that communication can happen in many subtle ways.