Introduction to fish

What is a Fish?

FISH:
• A fish is an aquatic vertebrate with gills and with limbs in the shape
of fins”.

Ectothermic (cold blooded animal ) they can,t control their body temp
Endothermic( warm blooded animal ) they can …..

• Fish are aquatic vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic

(previously cold-blooded), covered with scales, and equipped with
two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins.
 General characters of a fish

Fishes:
• Are vertebrates with Jaws.
• Are cold-blooded
• Are animals that breath by means of (gills) qaybta neefsiga.
• Are aquatic (live in water).
• Are move with the help of fins.
• Are about 36,000 species, which represent the 40% of the
total vertebrates present.
 General characters of a fish

• The study of fishes is known as Ichthyology.

• Fishes differ from each other in size, shape, habits and
habitats.
• The largest fish is the whale shark, which grows up to 20
meters.
• They live in all the seas, rivers, lakes, canals, tanks etc.
• They are economically a very important group of animals.
• They are used as food throughout the world.
 General characters of a fish

• The fish liver is the main source of liver oil containing vitamin
A and D.
• Body oils of fishes are externally used in soap industry and
tanneries.
 Thousands of species of fishes are less than a few
centimeters long as adults.
Adult males reach just 15 mm , and adult females reach
only about 9 mm.
• Fishes show great variety in body shape, but the "typical"
fish body shape is roughly cylindrical and tapering at both
ends. This characteristic fusiform shape is quite energy
efficient for swimming
“This tank is full of fish.” “The ocean is full of fishes.”
 Fish Biology

Introduction:
• Fish have great significance in the life of mankind, being an
important natural source of protein and providing certain
other useful products as well as economic sustenance to
many nations.
• The gradual erosion of commercial fish stocks due to over
-exploitation and alteration of the habitat is one reason why
the science fish biology came into existence.
• It is a well known fact that the knowledge on fish biology
particularly on morphology, length-weight relationship,
condition factor, reproduction, food and feeding habit, etc.
• For developing fishery, it is necessary to understand their
population dynamics how fast they grow and reproduce, the
size and age at which they spawn; their mortality rates and
its causes, on what they prey upon along with other
biological processes.
• It fact, the size and shape are fundamental to the analysis of
variation in living organisms and morphological variations
even in the same species most often related to the varied
environmental factors.
• Fish have some unique anatomical and physical
characteristics that are different from mammals; however,
they still possess the same organ systems that are present
in other animals.
 Anatomical terminology of a fish

Dorsal

Posterior or
Anterior
caudal

Ventral

Used for relating different parts….Eye is posterior to the mouth

Conversely the mouth is anterior to the eye

 Fins of a fish
Dorsal

Caudal
Pectoral

Anal Pelvic

Adipose

Pelvic Pectoral
 FINS

All fishes have fins which are supported by structures

called rays, some have soft, flexible fin rays.
Fins help stabilize or propel a fish in the water.
Fishes have two kinds of fins: paired fins (pectoral and
pelvic) and median fins (dorsal, caudal, and anal).
Paired pelvic fins add stability, and some fishes use them
for slowing.
Dorsal fin may be a single fin or separated into several
fins.
In most bony fishes, the dorsal fin is used for sudden
direction changes and acts as a "keel", keeping the fish
stable in the water.
Caudal fin, or tail, is responsible for propulsion in most
bony fishes.
Anal fin adds stability. plays a role in reproduction.
Fin Functions:
Each fin on a fish is designed to perform a specific function.
• Dorsal fin: Lends stability in swimming.
• Ventral fin: Serves to provide stability in swimming.
• Caudal fin: In most fish, the Caudal or tail fin is the main
propelling fin.
• Anal fin: Also lends stability in swimming.
• Pectoral fins: Locomotion and side to side movement.
• Adipose fin: Stability
Premaxilla

Maxilla
Head:
 Mouth: shape and size are good indications of bony fish's
feeding habits.
Most bony fishes have mouths at the front end of the head.
Some bottom-feeding species have mouths on toward the
bottom.
 Some surface-feeding species have mouths that angle
upwards.
Eye: size and position vary depending on the habitat and
behavior of the species. have an eye on each side of the head.
Some species have eyes positioned for a field of vision below or
above their bodies. Some have no eyes.

Nostrils: of most bony fishes have no connection with the mouth

or gills. In some bony fishes (such as eels), the nostrils'
incurrent and excurrent openings are widely separated.
In most species, the gills are protected by a flexible plate called
an operculum. Most bony fishes have a single pair of gill
openings.

 Some species of fishes, have fleshy barbels that fringe the

mouth. These barbels can detect food.
Scales:  
Most species of bony fishes are covered with and protected by
a layer of plates called scales.
A fish secretes a layer of mucus that covers its entire body.
 Mucus helps protect a fish from infection.
Lateral line:
 Like the ear, the lateral line senses vibrations. It functions mainly in
detecting low-frequency vibrations and directional water flow, and in
distance perception.
lateral line system is a series of fluid-filled canals just below the skin
of the head and along the sides of a fish's body.
The canals are open to the surrounding water through tiny pores.
Most species probably detect prey by sound.
 Barbels
Yellow Bullhead
Brown Bullhead

Burbot Burbot
SWIM BLADDER:
• Many species of fishes have a gas-filled bladder called a swim
bladder.
• Apparently the swim bladder originally developed in fish as an
organ of respiration.
• In some fishes the swim bladder has adapted to function as a
sound amplifier.
 Internal anatomy – the basics that help
understand the ecology!
Stomach
Swim bladder

Liver

Heart

Intestine Ovary
Fat deposits
Gills:
• Respiration is carried out by means of gills located under the gill
covers. The tissue between the slits is called the Gill arch .
• The gills are the organ by which gases are exchanged between
the fish and the surrounding water. Through the gills, fish are able
to absorb oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.