Understanding fish

Shania Davidson 4B

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Table of Contents
• Slide 3-4 External Anatomy

• Slide 5-7 Body Shapes

• Slide 8 Tails

• Slide 9 Mouths

• Slide 10 Color

• Slide 11 Life Support Systems

• Slide 12 Senses

• Slide 13-14 Behavior

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External anatomy
• Scales: They are thin bony plates that protect the skin of fish (and
reptiles). In Cartilaginous fishes, the scales are placoid, which are tiny
tough scales that cover the skin of sharks and rays. Bony fishes differ
as they are covered with cycloid scales which are the typical
overlapping scales. They’re large, thin and oval in shape and exhibit
growth rings from which you can tell the fishes age.

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External Anatomy
• Fins help move. Stabilize and protect fish. They can have more than
one pair of fins, in which some have pectoral, pelvic, anal. caudal
and dorsal fins. As their eyes are advanced and sensitive to light,
they also have better stability and sense of direction due to those.

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 Body shapes

Fusiform Laterally compressed Depressed Eel-like

They’re capable of These fish are flattened These fish are flattened These fish
swimming very fast and from side to side and from top to bottom have a
live in open water. usually don’t swim very and usually live at the snake-like
They’re torpedo shapes fast. Their shapes help bottom of the ocean.. body
with a slightly long them move and
head and a long thin maneuver their way shape.
tapering body through cracks and They’re
crevices in reefs somewhat
fast as well. 5
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Visuals of the different fish bodies

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Tails
• The shape and size of the tails indicates how fast a fish can swim. The
shapes below are a few common ones

Crescent- shaped: These tailed fish are fast swimmers and always on
the go.

Forked tailed: These fish are also fast swimmers but they can’t swim fast
all the time. The deeper the fork the faster they can swim.

Rounded: These are slow fishes but are able to have short powerful
bursts of speed.

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Mouths
• Terminal: it is located on the end of the head. Fishes with these
mouths chase and capture prey.

• Up-Pointing: Where an up-pointing mouth has a long lower jaw. The

opening is toward the top of the head. These fish feed near the
surface

• Sub-Terminal: These mouths are on the underside of the head. These

fish usually are bottom feeders.

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Color
• Red: These fishes live in dark/deep water or are nocturnal. In this
type of environment red is a good camouflage.

• Countershading: Dark on top and light on the bottom. These fishes

are found in the open ocean.

• Disruptive Coloration: This is a form of camouflage as the patterns

and lines break up the fish and help it blend into the background

• Eyespots: These are a form of mimicry where the eyespot near the
tail draws attention away from the real eye.

• Camouflage: The name speaks for itself as some have colors or

patterns to match backgrounds.

• Warning Coloration: These fish advertise the presence of poisonous

spines or defensive mechanisms.

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Life Support Systems

Fish need oxygen and since they don’t have lungs they breathe with
gills.

Temperature and salinity are important as many fish are adapted to a

narrow temperature range. Rapid changes cause death. Fish placed
in salt water who need fresh water or those who need salt water
placed in salt water may die.

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Senses
• Sight: Most fish have well developed eyes on the side of the head,
allowing them to see in every direction.

• Smell and Taste: Fish can smell things in the water with two blind sacs
called narcs which are similar to nostrils. They also have taste buds in
their mouth and gills.

• Hearing: Some fish have ears which aren’t visible. They pick up
soundwaves through the water

• Lateral line: his system helps fish feel movements in the water, which
is actually a row of tiny holes on the skin.

• Electricity: Some fish and sharks have special pores on the head
which allow them to detect electrical currents.

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Behavior
• Migration: Many species of fish migrate during their life cycle.
Some make long migrations to spawn. This reduces
competition for food and space between adults and young
fish

• Schooling: Many fish gather in groups called schools which

increase the chances of finding food, avoiding predators and
finding a mate. It may also make swimming easier.

• Aggression: Aggressive behavior is an interaction between two

fish of the same species or different species. It is usually
associated with reproduction and defense of feeding territory

• Resting: Fish don't sleep like people, but some fish spend a
good portion of their day or night resting.

• Communication: Senses play a big part in communication.

Visual communication also plays a big part. Body movements,
postures, colors, color patterns and light are the main medians
of visual communication. Sound is also used for
communication 13
Behavior (cont.)
• Cleaning: Some fish are cleaners. They pick parasites from other fish.
Some are brightly colored or patterned

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