Photo from an Oregon Zoo Video

Eddie the Sea Otter Plays Basketball

The Oregon Zoo had a basketball star. His name was Eddie.

At the old age of sixteen, Eddie had sore joints. The only way to keep things from
getting worse was to exercise. Eddie's legs got exercise from swimming. But how
could Eddie exercise his sore elbows?

The staff at the Oregon Zoo had a good idea. Jenny DeGroot, the sea otter
keeper, trained Eddie to put a ball through a basketball hoop in a pool behind his
exhibit area at the zoo. Eddie got so good, he rarely missed a shot.

It's not a surprise that Eddie was good at shooting hoops. Sea otters in the wild
are very good at using their front limbs. They grab rocks and use them to crack
open clams and other shells.

Eddie really enjoyed the exercise and loved the fishy treat he got whenever he
scored a basket.

Eddie played basketball until he died in 2018 at the age of 20. Since then, the
Oregon Zoo has trained other sea otters who have tried to learn Eddie's
basketball tricks.
1. Who is Jenny DeGroot?
a. Eddie's trainer
b. Eddie's mother
c. the person who wrote this story
2. How old was Eddie when he died?
a. 16
b. 18
c. 20
3. What did Eddie get as a reward for a basket?
a. Applause
b. a fish
c. a rock
4. Where was Eddie's training pool?
a. behind his exhibit area
b. It's part of his exhibit area.
c. in California
5. Where did Eddie live?
a. at the San Diego Zoo
b. at the Oregon Zoo
c. in the Pacific Ocean
6. How old was Eddie when he learned to play basketball?
a. 6
b. 10
c. 16
7. How do sea otters in the wild exercise their arms?
a. by grabbing rocks and cracking shells
b. by playing basketball
c. by swimming
8. How do sea otters exercise their back legs?
a. by kicking rocks and shells
b. by playing basketball
c. by swimming