Fish Dissection

External Anatomy
Characteristics of Fish
Cold blooded
Have fins and a backbone
Most fish have scales and breathe with
gills
22,000 different species of fish that began
evolving 480 million years ago
Fins
Appendages used by fish to maintain its
position, move, steer and stop.
Dorsal Fin – top (2)
Caudal Fin – tail
Pelvic Fin – bottom/belly (2)
Pectoral Fin – side (2)
Anal Fin - Anus
Scales
Composed of connective tissue covered
with calcium
Mucus layer covering the body that helps
prevent infection
Two types:
◦ Ctenoid Scales: jagged edges
◦ Cycloid Scales: Smooth round edges
Some have spines – defensive role
Eyes
Fish can see in color
Eyes are rounder in fish than in mammals
Why? Water can distort (change) images
so rounder eyes help the fish focus better
in water
Nares/Nostrils
Paired nostrils are called nares
Detect odors in water and can be very
sensitive
Mouth
The shape of the mouth is a clue to what
the fish eats
Fish will taste their food before they eat it
to make sure it is edible.
Some fish have teeth
Lateral Line
Senses water currents
Tiny pores filled with hair-like sensors
that are open to the water
Detects underwater vibrations
Determines the direction of the source of
the vibrations
Vent (Anus)
External opening to digestive, urinary and
reproductive tracts
Can be found in front of the anal fin
Internal Anatomy
Muscles
Provide movement and locomotion
Usually the part of the fish that is eaten
Fish swim by contracting and relaxing
their muscles
 Spine
Primary structural framework upon which
the fish’s body is built
Connects the skull at the front of the fish
and to the tail at the rear
Made of vertebrae – hollow and protect
the spinal cord
Spine

Rib Cage
 Gills
Allows a fish to breathe under water
Breathing apparatus of fish and are highly
vascularized
Bright red in color
Collects oxygen from the water so the fish can
breathe
Protected by a bony covering called an operculum
– flexible bony plate
Water is “inhaled” through the mouth, passes over
the gills and “exhaled” from beneath the
operculum
Stomach and Intestines
Break down and digest food
Absorb nutrients from food
Carnivores – short intestines
Herbivores – longer intestines because
fiber in plants takes longer to break down
You can tell a lot about how and what a
fish eats by examining the stomach
contents.
Stomach

Intestines
Kidney
Filters liquid waste materials from the
blood
These wastes are passed out of the body
Regulates water and salt concentrations
within the fish’s body, allowing certain
fish to live in freshwater or saltwater
Kidney
 Swim Bladder
A hollow, gas-filled balance organ that
allows a fish to conserve energy by
maintaining neutral buoyancy
Allow a fish to float and not sink!
Species of fish that do not have a swim
bladder sink to the bottom if they stop
swimming
Liver
Itassists in digestion by secreting
enzymes that break down fats
Storage area for fats and carbohydrates
Destruction of old blood cells and
maintain proper blood chemistry
Heart
Circulates blood throughout the body.
Oxygen and digested nutrients are
delivered to the cells of various organs
through the blood.
Blood transports waste products from the
cells to the kidneys and liver for
elimination
Heart
Brain
Control center of the
fish
Processes the
sensory information
Decision making
skills
Spinal Cord
Connects the brain to the rest of the body
Relays information from the body to the
brain
Gives instructions from the brain to the
rest of the body
Pyloric Caeca
The organ with finger like projections
located near the junction of the stomach
and the intestines.
Secrete enzymes that aid in digestion
Vent
Waste elimination
Gonads
Reproductive Organs
Female: bright orange mass of eggs
Male: small and white gland
Otoliths
“Earstones”
Hard, calcium carbonate structures
located directly behind the brain of bony
fish.
Aid the fish in balance and hearing
You can count the rings in order to
determine the age of the fish.