FISH

 vertebrates (have a backbone)

 have gills instead of lungs for breathing
 live in the water, cold-blooded
 lay eggs in water
 covered with scales, fins for swimming, muscular body
 the study of fish = ICHTHYOLOGY
kingdom: Animalia
phylum: Chordata
clade: Olfactores
subphylum: Vertebrata

habitat:
 mostly aquatic areas
 fresh water/marine water/brackish water
 adapted to different habitats, such as rocky shores, kelp forests, rivers, coral reefs, streams, lakes and ponds
 have the ability to live in areas with various temperatures
shapes and sizes:
 vary greatly in shapes and sizes
 the largest fish – the whale shark (twice as big and long as a bus)

anatomy:
3 main parts of the body – head, trunk, tail
scales – protection, the prevention of water passing through the skin
fins – thin flap of skin used for swimming, divide into
paired fins – pectoral, pelvis fins
median fins – dorsal, ventral, tail fins
tail
– at the prosterior end of the body
– underneath there are muscles arranged in a w-shaped blocks
*muscles play an important part especially in swimming*

senses:
sight/vision
– can see very well (considering fish in great depths – dark environment)
– most species have color vision
smell – nostrils used for smelling, however not for breathing
hearing – an important sensory system, fish use laternal lines and ears to sense sounds
LATERNAL LINE is placed just beneath the surface of the skin and is also used to detect the movement in water
capacity for pain
– fish can feel pain (they have pain and fear responses apparently) – these are still just speculations though

cartilaginous fish
Ampullae of Lorenzi = organs in head, which help detect weak electric fields in order to locate their prey

circulatory system
– simple circulatory system – closed-loop circulatory system
– single circulatory pattern unlike humans
consists of: two-chambered heart (the whole heart usually consists of 4 parts) and blood and blood vessels
– gaseous exchange happens within the gills, and the oxygenated blood from the gills is circulated throughout
the body

BONY FISH CARTILAGINOUS FISH

skeleton made of bones skeleton made of cartilage
operculum no operculum
swim bladder no swim bladder
scales = cycloid scales = placoid
marine or fresh water marine only
external fertilization internal fertilization
lateral line ampullae of lorenzi
digestion
bony fish – small organisms (worms, plankton, crabs)
cartilaginous fish – marine animals (other fish, possibly seals)
1. food enters the mouth and gets broken down in the esophagus
2. travels into the stomach for digestion
3. intestine followingly finishes the process of digestion and nutrient absorption
4. liver secretes bile that breaks down fatafterwards
5. the food travels down into the anus
6. remaining nutrients are absorbed in the intestines

excretion
 slender bars sticking out from the gills, preventing the food from getting in between the gills

respiration
– use gills in order to breathe (placed on either side of the pharynx – part of the throat behind the mouth)
– they consist of structures called filaments – each filament contains a capillary network – providing a large
area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide
OPERCULUM – a bony cover protecting four gills side by side (Cartilaginous fish do not have operculum)
SPIRACLES – only rays – on the top of the head, the benefit of breathing without inhaling the sand

reproduction
BONY FISH
 males and females let out their sperms and eggs
 external fertilization (takes place in the water)
 most of the bony fish become sexually mature once they reach the age between 1-5 years

CARTILAGINOUS FISH
 internal fertilization
 males have a pair of claspers – used to put the sperms into the female‘s reproductive opening
 the eggs are fertilized inside the female
 eggs are enclosed inside a horny case before laid

BONY FISH (OSTEICHTHYES)

 skeleton made of bones
 over 30 000 spieces
 habitat – marine and fresh water
 examples: Oarfish, Atlantic blue marlin, Black marlin, Dwarf pygmy goby, Seahorse, Eel, Ocean sunfish (the
heaviest bony fish)
 divide into:
ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii)
 fins are webs of skin supported by bony/horny spines (they‘re just simply attached to the bones)
 comprise nearly 99% of the over 30 000 species of bony fish
lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii)
– fleshy, lobed, paired fins which are attached to the body by only a single bone
– their scales are true scaloids (scales consisted of bones, i suppose)

CARTILAGINOUS FISH (CHRONDRICHTHYES)

– skeleton made of cartilage (gristle)
– jawed vertebrates
– paired fins, nares (nostrils), scales
– tooth-like scales called dermal denticles or placoid scales
– live all around the world
– may live up to 50-100 years (some even more)
– some guard their eggs but do not provide parental care after birth
divide into
 elasmobranchii (sharks, rays, skates, sawfish)
 holocephali (chimaeras also referred to as „ghostsharks“)
BONY FISH CARTILAGINOUS FISH
skeleton made of bones skeleton made of cartilage
operculum no operculum
swim bladder no swim bladder
scales = cycloid scales = placoid
marine or fresh water marine only
external fertilization internal fertilization
lateral line ampullae of lorenzi