Fish Anatomy
Fins: Maintain position, move, steer, and stop
Single Fins
- Dorsal
- Caudal
- Anal
- Adipose
Paired Fins
- Pectoral
- Pelvic
Fins: Maintain position, move, steer, and stop
Single Fins
- Dorsal
- Caudal
- Anal
- Adipose
Paired Fins
- Pectoral
- Pelvic
Scales: Protection, like our skin
- Ctenoid- jagged edges (usually fish with spines)
- Cycloid- smooth rounded edges
- Ganoid Diamond shaped (Gar)
- Ctenoid- jagged edges (usually fish with spines)
- Cycloid- smooth rounded edges
- Ganoid Diamond shaped (Gar)
Lateral line: a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs that detect pressure and vibration.
- Fluid filled sacs with hair-like sensory apparatus that are open to the water through a series of pores.
- Senses- water pressure and currents, movement in the water
- Fluid filled sacs with hair-like sensory apparatus that are open to the water through a series of pores.
- Senses- water pressure and currents, movement in the water
Ampullae of Lorenzini: are special sensing organs called electroreceptors, forming a network of jelly-filled pores.
- Electric eels
- Some species of Catfish
- Sturgeon
- Electric eels
- Some species of Catfish
- Sturgeon
Pores with ampullae of Lorenzini in snout of a Tiger Shark.
Swim Bladder: a gas-filled sac present in the body of many bony fishes, used to maintain and control buoyancy.
- Hollow gas (usually oxygen) filled organ
- Maintain neutral buoyancy
- Without it a fish will sink if it stops swimming
- Example of fish without swim bladders: sharks, rays
- Some fish fill their swim bladder by gulping air at the surface others by internal processes
- Hollow gas (usually oxygen) filled organ
- Maintain neutral buoyancy
- Without it a fish will sink if it stops swimming
- Example of fish without swim bladders: sharks, rays
- Some fish fill their swim bladder by gulping air at the surface others by internal processes
Fish Mouths: Mouth shape and size determines what they can eat
- Upward facing mouth-surface feeding
- Snout like nose-picks food out of crevices
- Bottom facing mouth-bottom feeder
- Mouth facing the middle- anything it can catch
- Upward facing mouth-surface feeding
- Snout like nose-picks food out of crevices
- Bottom facing mouth-bottom feeder
- Mouth facing the middle- anything it can catch
Gills: Most fish breathe entirely with their gills flushing water over their highly vascularized gills
Air- breathing fish
- Function similar to human lungs
- Fish gulp air to gain oxygen
- Store it in a primitive lung or modified organ
- Often found in habitats in which other fish cannot survive
- Obligate vs non-obligate (have to breathe air vs can do it when oxygen levels in water are low)
- Function similar to human lungs
- Fish gulp air to gain oxygen
- Store it in a primitive lung or modified organ
- Often found in habitats in which other fish cannot survive
- Obligate vs non-obligate (have to breathe air vs can do it when oxygen levels in water are low)
Air breathing species we have in our collection:
- Gar
- Bichir
- Lungfish
- Catfish
- Electric Eel
- Knifefish
- Arowana
- Gourami
Next is The Great Lakes