FISH CHARACTERISTICS
5th Grade
How do FINS work?
Pectoral Fins –used to maneuver the fish up, down, and sideways -> turning especially
Pelvic Fins –used for braking and steering
Dorsal fin –stabilizer so that that fish does not roll on its side
Anal Fin – stabilizes the fish
Caudal Fin –speed and strength
Parts of a bony fish
Lateral Line –what is it?
Lateral Line: a sensory organ that runs along the sides of the fish’s body under the skin
Tiny vibrations in the water pass through the lateral line to help the fish detect differences in pressure and movement in the water
What is the Lateral Line used for?
To avoid predators To detect prey To help with swimming in schools of fish
What is special about a fish’s Swim Bladder?
Swim Bladder: an oval-shaped sac found in the abdominal cavity of many fishes
-Neutral Buoyancy: the ability of an organism to use little or no energy to stay at particular levels of water, and is achieved through the expanding and shrinking of the swim bladder due to varying gas pressure
-At different times it can be filled with varying amounts and composition of gases
Swim Bladder:
Fish can have more control over their movements while expending minimal amounts of energy
Helps fish stay floating all day long without using up too much energy
Swim Bladder
Do fresh water fish or salt water fish require a larger swimbladder?
Freshwater!
Freshwater fishes require a larger swimbladder than those in salt water because freshwater is less buoyant than salt water
Buoyant: ability to float
Objects float better on saltwater than freshwater
How do gills work?
Gills: Fish take oxygen from the water through gills in a process called diffusion
Diffusion: 1) Fish sucks water into its mouth 2) The fish force water out through gill
slits behind the head 3) The gill rakers remove solid material
from the water 4) The gill filaments remove dissolved
oxygen from the water 5) The gills are very sensitive, so they are
protected by a bony plate called an operculum (gill cover)
How Gills Work:
How gills work:
How Gills work: