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: