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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.

Where did Eddie live?
at the San Diego Zoo
at the Oregon Zoo
in the Pacific Ocean
at the Oregon Zoo How old was Eddie when he learned to play basketball?
6
10
16
16 How old was Eddie when he died?
16
18
20
20 What did Eddie get as a reward for a basket?
applause
a fish
a rock
a fish Who is Jenny DeGroot?
Eddie's trainer
Eddie's mother
the person who wrote this story
Eddie's trainer How do sea otters exercise their back legs?
by kicking rocks and shells
by playing basketball
by swimming
by swimming Where was Eddie's training pool?
behind his exhibit area
It's part of his exhibit area.
in California
behind his exhibit area How do sea otters in the wild exercise their arms?
by grabbing rocks and cracking shells
by playing basketball
by swimming
by grabbing rocks and cracking shells

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