Acknowledgments:

This activity book was created with funding from NOAA CRCP grant NA19NOS4820057 

Written & Illustrated by Cara Lin, Guam Department of Agriculture, as part of the National 

Coral Reef Fellowship 2020-2022, revised December 2023 

Edited by 

Whitney Hoot, Guam Coral Reef Initiative (Bureau of Statistics and Plans)

Marie Auyong, CSS, on contract to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

Additional sources and thanks to: 

Guampedia: 

“Pole and Thatched Homes” by Lawrence Cunningham

“Mangroves: The Forest between Land and Sea” by Mildred Kelokelo

“Hima: Conserving a Cultural Heritage” by Francisco Villagomez

Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) and Island Research & Education Initiative 

(IREI)- Digital Atlas of Guam

Fish Names of the Mariana Islands, Micronesia, University of Guam Marine Laboratory Technical Report 13, February 

2012 compiled by Alexander M Kerr

Guam’s Fish and Wildlife Factsheets (May 2002), funded by the Guam Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the 

United States Environmental Protection Agency Award # M009063-02 through the Environmental Education Committee 

of the Water Planning Committee.

https://www.guampedia.com/fish-and-wildlife-fact-sheets/

Additional input on content by the Chief Hurao Academy, the Kumisión I Fino' CHamoru, Brent Tibbatts, Dr. Michael 

Bevacqua, and Adrienne Loerzel

Photo credits to:

Page 1: Mangrove photo by Jessica Gross; Seagrass and Coral Photo by David Burdick (guamreeflife.com)

Page 16: Nipa palm photo by Anagounagi, Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 4.0)

This activity book may be accessed and reproduced at:

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/regional-activity-books.html

For more information or questions please contact cara.lin@doag.guam.gov or the Guam Department of Agriculture’s 

Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources

Learn more from the Guam Coral Reef Initiative:

https://www.guamcoralreefs.info/ GuamCoralReefInitiative GuamCoralReefs 
 

Thanks for joining our adventure! We are going to explore three coastal 

HABITATS you can find around Guam. A habitat is a place where animals 

and plants live. Healthy habitats provide animals things they need, such as 

food and shelter.

Mangrove Habitat

Mångle habitat

Hafa adai, I’m Metgot

the Mangrove!

In CHamoru the word “metgot” 

means strong! I am a strong 

type of tree that can survive in 

or near salt water.

What is your name?

My name is:

______________________________

__

Salutations! I am Seba

the Seagrass! 

Unlike the grass on land, I live 

in salty ocean water. The 

CHamoru word “seba” means 

to give a lot, and I create a lot 

of homes for fish.

Join us on our adventure!

Draw yourself below:

Buenas, I’m Åcho' tåsi

the Coral! 

I am an animal with algae 

(little plants) inside me.

Quick tip: underlined words

are a question or challenge

for you. Some have answers in 

the back.

Coral Habitat

Mattingan habitat

1

Seagrass Habitat

Lo’u habitat
I live in shallow water very 

close to the shore. 

Seagrass Habitat

Mangrove Forest Habitat

Coral Reef 

Habitat

I live on the 

sandy and

muddy land near 

salty ocean 

water and 

along rivers. 

I live in both

shallow and

deeper water a 

little bit farther 

from shore.

The mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs of Guam are along the coast. The 

habitats look different but are all connected. Animals like sea turtles and fish 

(can you spot them?) move between the habitats for food or as they grow up. 

Seagrasses and mangroves help keep the water clear and clean, which protects 

the coral reef. All of the habitats , protecting the land and the 

people who live there. 

2
 

Seagrasses are related to land 

plants! They also make food using 

energy from the sun and have 

flowers that make seeds.

Needle Grass

Guam has 3 types of seagrasses. Tape grass is the most common and largest type.

Observe the pictures below and compare the 3 seagrasses. Can you draw a line to 

match each leaf type and root type to the correct seagrass?

Oval shaped blade comes in pairs

Wide blade, rounded tip

Narrow blade

Large thick roots with bristles

Small thin roots

Medium sized roots

New seagrass can grow from seeds OR

they can grow along the rhizome, 

which is like a stem but underground.

Land Plant Seagrass

Flower

Blade

or Leaf

Rhizome

Roots

Soil and 

Sediment

How are these two plants similar 

and different?

The rhizome allows seagrasses to share 

nutrients (food) and grow quickly horizontally.

Root type 

Leaf type

3

*Answer on page 25

Tape Grass

Spoon Grass
Help protect us corals from sediment! 

Draw in the missing seagrass under the 

arrows below! Make sure you draw the 

roots to keep the sediment in place!

Especially on steep hills, rain can wash sediment into the ocean. If 

the sediment lands on the corals it can smother and hurt them.

keeping 

sediment in 

place!

Seagrass 

can grow 

horizontally 

along the 

You can 

also help 

protect 

corals by 

planting 

trees, and 

avoiding 

offroading, 

which can 

tear up 

the 

plants.

It takes teamwork! All plants with roots help keep the soil in place. The 

forests and plants on land, the mangroves, and seagrasses all help protect corals.

Roots help plants get nutrients and keep the plant anchored in place.

Without enough plant roots keeping the soil in place, the soil can get 

loose and wash from the land into the sea, where it gets stirred up by waves.

Soil that gets moved around by water is called SEDIMENT.

4

*Answer on page 25

Bonus Challenge! There are two species of seagrass on this page. Which one is tape grass and which 

one is spoon grass?

 
Seagrasses are a great habitat because they provide many creatures with food and 

protection. Fish can hide in between the seagrass, and some tiny plants and animals 

even use the surface of the seagrass as their home. Let’s take a closer look!

Larger fish like the blackspot emperor may 

eat some of the small 

Sea cucumbers look like strange blobs but 

they are animals and can move! 

Seagrass sea hares are an example of an 

animal that lives on seagrass. They are

bright green, which allows them to 

camouflage with the seagrass blades they 

live on. 

EPIBIOTA are tiny plants and 

animals, such as algae, sponges, 

and worms that live attached to 

the surface of the seagrass. 

Many epibiota are so small you 

need a microscope to see them!

“EPI-” means “on the surface”

Blackspot Emperor 

Sea Cucumber

Marbled 

Parrotfish

Many parrotfish scrape algae off 

rocks. However, this type of 

parrotfish eats mostly algae and 

seagrass. Sea turtles also eat 

seagrass. animals that live on or 

within the seagrasses, 

such as sea urchins

worms, crabs, 

and snails. 

Seagrass Sea 

Hare 

They eat living and decomposing (breaking down/ rotting) 

plants and animals in the sediment.

Draw some 

more 

seahares on 

the 

seagrass 

mafute’

balåte'

lacha

5
Mangroves are trees that can grow in a mix of salty and fresh water.

Guam has many species of mangroves with different shaped roots. Some 

mangroves like very salty water and grow very close to the ocean. Some like 

less salty water and grow farther from the ocean. 

What are those three things that look like long string beans?

Some mangroves have seeds and others have propagules. 

What’s the difference?

Large-leafed Orange Mangrove

SEEDS leave the parent

tree before growing

Grey mangrove

Mångle' hembra

Prop Roots

Red Mangrove

Knee Roots

A propagule floats around until it eventually sinks or and starts to grow roots. Different 

types of mangroves have different propagules. Follow these propagules as they float in the 

waves to match them to the mangrove type.

th

These 3 types are 

some of the best at 

living in salty 

environments 

Spike roots

Red Mangrove

Grey Mangrove

Large-leafed 

Orange Mangrove

A

B

C

PROPAGULES start growing 

while still attached to their 

parent tree

Mångle' macho'

Mangrove Propagule 

6

*Answer on page 25

Mångle' åpu
There are all sorts of animals you can find living among 

the mangrove trees.

Can you draw the foods these animals eat and the

mangroves around them? 

Mangrove Snapper

Pacific Reef Heron

Mangrove Monitor Lizard

Uses sharp 

beak to 

catch small 

fish 

Likes to hunt at 

night for small 

fish and crabs 

Eats other lizards, 

eggs, crabs, rats 

Likes to swim in 

between the 

roots

Likes to look for food 

on muddy ground

Can climb over fallen 

mangrove branches 

tagåfen saddok

hilitai 

chuchuko’

7
FINISH

Mangroves are great habitats for ocean life because of their complex 

roots! Fish can hide in the spaces between the roots, safe from 

predators. Little animals like snails and crabs also crawl on the roots. 

Help the crab 

through the 

mangrove roots 

to his burrow

Female Male

Fiddler crabs are common near mangroves. 

Male fiddler crabs have one big claw.

Circle the males and draw a triangle around 

the females

Here is a group of glassfish sheltering among 

mangrove roots. 

Mangrove habitat underwater:

Mangrove 

propagule

Circle all the 

propagules you 

can find

During high tide the mangrove roots are 

underwater, allowing animals to swim by

8

*Answers on page 26
On the surface are the soft 

squishy polyps but most of the 

inside is a skeleton made of 

limestone. 

Not all corals have a skeleton, 

some are “soft corals”

Let’s take a closer look at coral. The coral is actually made up lots of tiny CORAL 

POLYPS- a ring of tentacles on a stalk. The polyps are connected and can share 

nutrients. The coral grows larger by making copies of the polyps over a limestone 

skeleton. Let’s take a closer look.

Draw some more

polyps on these 

coral branches!

The ZOOXANTHELLAE and coral work 

together as a team! The coral gives the 

algae a safe home, and the algae gives the 

coral food. 

Coral polyps get energy and nutrients in TWO ways.

1. Using their 

mouth in the 

center to eat 

little particles in 

the water 2. Inside the coral polyps are algae (tiny 

plants) called ZOOXANTHELLAE, and 

like all plants they can make their own 

food using sunlight! They share a lot of 

this food with the coral.

CORAL POLYPS

CORAL 

SKELETON

Sometimes if the water gets too hot, the zooxanthellae exit the coral. The coral 

loses its color and turns white. This is called CORAL BLEACHING. If coral stays 

bleached for too long it can die. 

Color these corals, make 

sure these different 

kinds of corals aren’t 

bleached!

9
This sea star eats corals, and too many

crown of thorns sea stars can damage 

the coral reef.

* check out this sea star on page 24 too!

HUMPHEAD WRASSE

CROWN-OF-THORNS SEA STAR 

The Humphead 

wrasse is one of 

the largest

coral reef fish. It 

can live for over 

30 years and 

grow to over 7 

feet long. (How 

tall are you?) 

The humphead 

wrasse is one of 

few fish capable 

of eating the 

crown of thorns 

sea star. 

Too much fishing can lower the fish population. Since different fish have different jobs, it is

important to protect fish to protect the coral reef. Read more about fish jobs on the next page.

Tangison

Together, lots of corals make the REEF- a hard structure strong enough to not

get washed away by waves. Animals can hide around and in between the sturdy 

coral branches. Creatures big and small can also find food at the coral reef.

Damselfish

BUTTERFLYFISH

Butteflyfish eat coral 

polyps and the coral’s 

protective mucus 

(slime)

Many damselfish like the 

blue green chromis are 

small and quick to hide in 

between coral branches. 

They eat small animals 

drifting in the water.

Ababang Fohmo

10
The coral reef is home to hundreds of kinds of fish. Different fish eat different 

things, almost like having different jobs. Having lots of different kinds of 

fish helps keep the coral reef healthy.

Unicornfish are important for eating 

seaweeds. They help prevent the 

seaweed from overgrowing into 

seaweed forests and hurting the corals

by blocking out sunlight, and taking up 

too much space.

Parrotfish scrape off short fuzzy algae 

from rocks and dead corals. They help 

clean up the rock and open up new 

space for baby corals to attach

and grow.

UNICORNFISH

PARROTFISH

Tataga’

Palaske’= small parrotfish

Laggua= large parrotfish

Create a fish! Think about what kind of role it has on the reef and fill out the 

information box.

Draw your fish in the box below: Fish Name: ______________________________

What food(s) does it eat? 

 seaweed  fuzzy algae  seagrass

 other fish  coral  shelled animals

 left over scraps from other animals

 other: ____________________________________

What animal(s), if any, eats it?

_______________________________________________

What habitat(s) does it live in?

 coral  seagrass  mangrove

11
Can you 

connect each

baby fish to 

its adult 

form?

Follow their 

journey, 

from 

growing up 

in the 

mangrove 

and seagrass 

nursery to 

becoming 

adults at the 

coral reef. 

A

B

C

D

Barracuda Little Rabbitfish

Streamlined Rabbitfish

Blacktail snapper

hiteng kalåu mañåhak haitang ålu

kaka'ka'

Babies in the nursery

Adults at the coral reef

Some types of fish use the seagrasses and mangroves as a NURSERY habitat- a 

place where young fish can grow up. As they grow bigger they may migrate 

(move) to the coral reef to spend their adult life. For babies, the mangrove roots and 

seagrass blades provide safety from predators and a source of food.

12

*Answer on page 25
Achang Bay Reef Flat 

Pati Point 

Tumon Bay 

Sasa Bay 

Piti Bomb Holes 

Can you mark these places 

on the map?

• Your home

• Your school

• A friend’s house

• A place special to you

• Your favorite place

To PRESERVE means to protect something from being damaged. A marine

preserve is a place that protects ocean habitats and the plants and 

animals that live there.

In the marine preserve there are special rules for fishing. The fishing rules 

help make sure we have enough fish for future generations and help keep 

the coral reef healthy.

GUAM’S 5 MARINE 

PRESERVES

Yigu 

Dédidu

Barigåda

Yo'ña

AssanMa'ina

Talo'fo'fo'

Inalåhan

Malesso'

Hågat

Sånta Rita

Piti 

SI

*Village Abbreviations:

MMTM- Mongmong-To’to-Maite’

TU- Tutuhan (Agana Heights)

SI- Sinahånña

HG-Hagåtña

The grey areas of 

this map are our 

marine preserves, 

look next to the 

name to see which 

preserves have 

mangroves, corals, 

or seagrasses.

Philippine Sea 

North Pacific 

Ocean 

13

***All village names are from the Kumisión I Naʹan Lugåt Guåhan's (Commission on 

CHamoru Language) Fino' CHamoru På'go (CHamoru Word Lists).
The ancient CHamoru people used many natural materials to help them build 

homes, clothes, fishing equipment, and other tools. Some of these natural materials 

came from our coastal habitats.

The nipa palm can be found near the 

mouth of rivers.

They grow well in water that is mostly fresh 

water but has a little bit of salt mixed in 

too.

Currently there aren’t that many areas with

Nipa Palms in Guam so they are protected.

The most popular 

plant for thatching 

(covering) roofs 

was the coconut 

palm. However, in 

the past the leaves 

of the nipa palm 

were also used.

A balanggai was a get 

together where people would 

invite friends and family to help 

with roofing. While they 

worked people would feast, 

sing, and have fun. 

Add some thatching to the 

frame of this roof

Nipa Palms 

Giant clams live in the 

coral reef and their

shells were used for 

making necklaces and 

blades.

Higam were axe-like tools made from giant clam shells 

that were used to carve canoes.

Hima (Giant Clams)

Piece of clam shell 

14

Wood & Rope
Do you enjoy eating seafood? There is a long cultural tradition of seafood in Guam 

that is supported by our coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats.

Land crabs use the mangrove habitat and create burrows in 

muddy mangrove sediments. The crabs are cooked to create 

stuffed land crab, pånglao.

Talayeros, or fishermen using a fishing net called talaya, catch 

mañåhak from shore. Mañåhak live and eat in seagrass.

Mañåhak are young 

rabbitfish. They are 

often eaten fried or 

pickled

to use as a 

condiment 

(topping).

Pånglao

Mañåhak

Kelaguen Gåmson

Octopus kelaguen is usually eaten for special occasions. 

Kelaguen dishes “cook” meat using lemon juice.

In Guam, you may catch octopus to eat by yourself or with friends and family, but it is illegal 

to catch to sell them, and illegal to catch them in preserves.

This rule is important because if we catch too many octopus there won’t be enough left to 

reproduce. These fishing rules are important for keeping the coral reef healthy so seafood can 

be enjoyed by future generations.

Octopuses like 

to hide in small 

spaces in the 

coral reef.

Coconut,

onions, 

salt, and 

donne’ 

(peppers)

are other 

ingredients 

common in 

kelaguen.

15
Breathe in, breathe out. When humans and animals breathe they use the 

oyxgen gas and breathe out carbon dioxide; plants do the opposite and 

use carbon dioxide gas and release oxygen.

Cars, planes, farm animals, and coal 

power plants also release carbon 

dioxide.

Over time we 

have cut 

down a lot of 

trees.

The CARBON DIOXIDE causes the planet’s temperature to rise.

Seagrasses and mangroves can help! They absorb a lot of carbon dioxide. 

Eventually old leaves and roots get buried, and the carbon gets buried in the 

mud, keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and bringing back balance.

The high temperature causes changes in long term weather and 

affects how often it rains or storms. 

This is called CLIMATE CHANGE, which is also harmful to corals 

and people.

The planet is no 

longer in balance.

Take the CARBON DIOXIDE to 

the seagrass and mangrove,

where they bury the carbon, 

then lead the oxygen out.

CARBON 

DIOXIDE OXYGEN

CARBON BURIED UNDERGROUND

16

*Answer on page 25

carbon dioxide

oyxgen
START FINISH

Wave Maze Challenge: Pretend you are the wave! As you travel through the coral reef, seagrasses, 

and mangroves, show how the wave energy reduces with how squiggly your line is!

Big waves 

off shore

Calm 

waves by 

the land

Can you see the difference between the two pictures below?

Together we work as a team to absorb the energy of big 

waves coming from the sea.

Healthy coral 

reefs, 

seagrasses, and 

mangroves

During storms big waves can damage 

buildings and hurt people

Calm waves by the land

Larger waves and no plant roots holding together the sediment

also causes greater coastal EROSION- the process where the 

waves wash the land into the sea slowly over time.

Unhealthy or 

dead coral reefs, 

seagrasses, and 

mangroves 





17

*Answer on page 26
3. Water rains down from 

clouds 

On the next page make your own ridge to reef landscape that will help keep the water clean! 

As the water travels, it can get polluted. Pollution is 

anything added to the environment that causes 

harm to living things. 

What goes up must come down!

Rain on top of the high mountain ridges travels down 

through the hills, fields, rivers, villages, and sewers. 

Finally the water ends up in the ground and ocean 

In order to protect the water reaching the coral reef, we need to start

all the way at the beginning at the ridge at the top of the mountain! 

1. The sun heats up 

water in puddles, 

ponds, and the ocean. 

To protect ocean life we need to protect our water. But that can be 

difficult because water is always moving in the WATER CYCLE.

Coral Reef

Ridge

Plastic

Sediment 

Oil & 

Chemicals

Bacteria

harm to living things

Some pollution you can see, like big pieces of plastic 

or cloudiness from dirt. Other types of pollution like 

oil, other chemicals, and very tiny pieces of plastic 

cannot be seen without special tools. 

INSIDE A WATER DROPLET 

FROM RIDGE TO REEF 

2. The warm water goes into the air 

where it forms clouds.

4. The cycle repeats

18
A WATERSHED is an area of land that collects and drains all of the water on it into a larger water 

body such as a lake, pond, or the ocean. 

Cut out these squares below. See if you can arrange them into a watershed that will keep the 

coral reef and people healthy. Look on the back of the squares for more information. 

A WATERSHED is an area of land that collects and drains all of the water on it into a larger water 

*activity adapted from http://www.cangeoeducation.ca/resources/learning_centre/classroom_activities/river_puzzle.asp

19
*activity adapted from http://www.cangeoeducation.ca/resources/learning_centre/classroom_activities/river_puzzle.asp

Mountain 

Ridge- the 

highest point 

where rainfall

starts flowing 

down 

Mountain 

Ridge- the 

highest point 

where the rainfall

starts flowing 

down

Badlands- areas 

where there 

aren’t a lot of 

plants, which 

causes soil to 

wash away easily

Free Space- you 

decide, you draw!

Village- a place 

with lots of 

homes where 

people live, 

people create 

sewage (poop!)

Rain Gardenspecial gardens 

that help absorb 

lots of rainwater 

to protect people 

from flooding

Forest- when it 

rains, forests 

help absorb 

water, clean 

water, and keep 

the soil in place

Farm- great 

source of local 

food! However 

animal poop and 

fertilizer may go 

into the water.

River Parkwater needs to 

be clean here 

since people 

fish and play 

in the water

Water 

treatment 

facility- place 

where water 

gets filtered 

and cleaned

Sewage 

Treatment 

Facility- where 

water with human 

waste (poop) gets 

cleaned

Waterfall 

recreational 

area- water 

needs to be 

clean for people 

to swim

Hotels and 

Businessesmany people, 

might create 

human waste 

and pollution

Mangrove 

forest- helps 

absorb 

sediment and 

pollution

Marina- area 

where people 

keep and 

launch boats.

Mangrove 

shorelinehelps absorb 

sediment, 

pollution, and 

wave energy

Bay with 

seagrasshelps absorb 

sediment and 

pollution

Free Space- you 

decide, you draw!

Badlands- areas 

where there 

aren’t a lot of 

plants, which 

causes soil to 

wash away easily

Rain Gardenspecial gardens 

that help absorb 

lots of rainwater 

to protect people 

from flooding

Inside each square is some more information about the scene on the other 

side. Look for where pollution is created and where it is absorbed and 

arrange the squares to help make sure the pollution is absorbed for the 

safety of the corals and people. See more information about this activity on 

the other side of this page

20
Trash that isn’t thrown away correctly and ends up in the environment is called LITTER.

Litter is a big problem. Animals like fish or birds may eat bits of plastic and get sick. Other 

animals like sea turtles can get tangled in old nets or fishing line and drown. 

Litter is also harmful to people. No one wants to swim at a beach full of garbage, step on 

broken glass, or eat fish and seafood that ate plastic!

You can help by reducing how much trash you create- only buy things you need and 

avoid single use plastics. You can also pick up litter you see and join clean up events!

Fishing line and 

hook

Bottle cap

Plastic bottle

Glass bottle

Plastic straw

Candy wrapper

Plastic fork

Cigarette 

Plastic spoon

Plastic bag

Aluminum drink 

can

On the side are some of the most common types of litter that ends up on our oceans. Can you 

find them in the mangrove and seagrass habitat below?

BONUS CHALLENGE: put a STAR next to items you CAN recycle, and CROSS OUT items you CANNOT recycle

Paper cup

21

*Answers on page 27
To monitor something means to watch it carefully for changes over time. Scientists 

monitor the coastal habitats to see if they are changing or staying the same. 

Changes can be good, bad, or neutral (neither good or bad). 

For example, scientists can monitor seagrasses by measuring the amount of 

seagrass and counting the number of fish in the seagrass. 

If that area increased in seagrass and number of fish, the seagrass is likely healthy.

If that area decreased in seagrass or number of fish, the seagrass is likely unhealthy and 

there might be a problem like pollution or too much fishing.

YOU can help too by being a CITIZEN SCIENTIST. Anyone can be a scientist if they record what they 

see snorkeling and help monitor the environment. 

Coral Reef Monitoring Report:

Location: Gun Beach 

Date: _____/______/________ 

Name: __________________________ 

Number of crown of thorn sea 

stars: __________ 

*Answer on page 28

The Crown-Of-Thorns Sea star 

(also known as COTS) is a large 

spiky venomous sea star. If there 

are too many COTS they eat too 

much coral and hurt the reef. 

Can you help the 

snorkelers find all 

the crown-of-thorn 

sea stars below and 

record them in the report? 

*hint- some may be hiding under coral

Reports help scientists know how 

many COTS are on the reef. 

Get involved in Guam’s citizen science monitoring program and help monitor coral reefs! Report

your real crown-of-thorns sea star sightings and other observations at www.eormarianas.org

22
Do you part! You can volunteer to plant trees, use less plastic, educate others, and more!

Being a STEWARD means taking care of something. In our journey, 

we’ve learned a lot of ways to protect our corals, seagrass, and mangrove 

habitats and the animals that live there. 

Do you part! You can volunte

S -

T - 

E - 

W - 

A - 

R - 

D - 

Snorkel with respect! Do not touch or kick corals, or trample the seagrass.

-

Trees, trees, trees! Protecting our forests, mangrove trees, and seagrasses helps keep soil

in place so the sediment doesn’t get washed onto and hurt corals.

What are your ideas to protect the ocean? Can you think of ideas 

to fill in the missing letters of the STEWARD acronym below?

Assist our fish! Support our marine preserves and follow fishing and hunting rules. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Stay horizontal (flat instead of 

standing) Keep fins up away from 

coral 

1. Don’t touch or scare animals, 

watch from a safe distance 

Be a savvy snorkeler!

23
Did you see some new things and learn some new words on our adventure? 

See if you remember what these words mean, and find them in the word 

search.

HINT: If you don’t remember what a word means, you can go back and look for it, look for 

words in CAPITAL letters

Habitat

Coral

Seagrass

Mangrove

Nursery

Rhizome

Erosion 

Polyp

Watershed

Parrotfish

Pånglao

Nipa

Unicornfish

Mañåhak

Roots

Steward

Sediment

Carbon

Epiphyte

Propagule

Zooxanthellae

Pollution

Preserve

HINT: some words may be backwards 

and diagonal!

BONUS!

24

*Answers on page 27
Answers Pages:

Great job working on these challenges!

Some underlined challenges were creative challenges with many answers, so 

don’t worry if not every challenge has an answer here.

Page 6- What is a mangrove?

A= large-leafed orange mangrove

B= red mangrove

C= grey mangrove

Page 12- Growing up in a nursery

A = streamlined spinefoot

B= barracuda

C= Blacktail snapper

D= Little spinefoot

Page 16- Carbon Capture Masters Page 4- Super Seagrass roots!

Top- tape grass

Bottom- spoon grass

25

Page 3- What are seagrasses?
Page 8- Mangrove Root Maze

12 mangrove 

propagules

Page 17- Wave Absorbers Maze

26

male

male

female

male
Page 21- Hidden Litter

Page 24- Wrap-up Word Search

Bottle cap

Plastic Bottle

Plastic Bag

Glass Bottle

Plastic Straw

Candy Wrapper

Paper cup

Plastic fork

Cigarette

Plastic Spoon

Aluminum can

Fishing line and 

hook

How do I know what I 

can recycle?

For residential recycling, 

Guam accepts paper 

products, metal cans, and 

plastics #1 and #2 (as of 

2023)

There are also special

facilities for glass, 

electronic waste, and 

chemicals.

Find out more about what 

you can recycle by 

checking the Guam Solid 

Waste Authority website.

27
Page 22- Be the eyes of the reef

28

Coral Reef Monitoring Report:

Location: Gun Beach

Date: month/ day / year i

Name: your name d

Number of crown of thorn sea 

stars: __13___

I will not feed fish or other marine life

I will not harass or hurt sea creatures

I will not litter

 I will not touch, break, or stand on coral 

 I will encourage others to take care of our ocean

In honor of the CHamoru people, I pledge to care for 

this island and its coral reefs for future generations. 

Thank you so much 

for joining us on 

our adventure! 

As someone living 

on Guam, YOU 

have the power to 

help keep our 

seagrasses, 

mangroves, and 

corals healthy. 

By protecting these 

habitats, you also 

protect animals and 

people that live 

near the water.

Sign your name here

Take the pledge by 

reading and checking 

off each of the ways 

you will protect 

Guam’s ocean. 

Decorate and color, 

cut around the edge 

and on the dotted 

line to hang it up on a 

door knob as a 

reminder! 

MY ACTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I pledge to 

protect Guam’s ocean and coastal habitats 

GUAM OCEAN PLEDGE