Rocky the Toadfish
Carson Black and Josh Moore
Purpose
-after 2 weeks noticed it
stayed the same spot
-positions and
behavior as tank is moved
-so mysterious we
wanted answers
Background Information
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Batrachoidiformes
Genus: Opsanus
Species: Opsanus tau
Video
Hypothesis
If rocks in the tank of the oyster toadfish are
moved, the oyster toadfish will not return under
the same rock to hide, but will remain in the
same part of the tank to hide under whatever
rock is there.
Questions
1) How does changing the structure of the tank affect the behavior of the
toadfish?
2)
night?
3)
the
4)
Does the Toadfish stay under the rocks more during the day or at
If the rock that the toadfish stays under most of the time is moved, will
fish move with the rok or stay in the same place? Why?
What makes the toadfish come out from under the rock?
5)
How long will it take for the toadfish to get into a regular routine with
the newly designed tank?
Original Research Design
● Study where toadfish
usually resides
● Move rocks around
monthly and record its
movements
October
Beginning of November
End of November
December
January - March
April
Revisit Hypothesis
If rocks in the tank of the oyster toadfish are
moved, the oyster toadfish will not return under
the same rock to hide, but will remain in the
same part of the tank to hide under whatever
rock is there.
Discussion
● Hypothesis supported?
Answering Questions
1) How does changing the structure of the tank affect the behavior of the toadfish?
2)
Does the Toadfish stay under the rocks more during the day or at night?
3)
If the rock that the toadfish stays under most of the time is moved, will the fish
move with the rock or stay in the same place? Why?
4)
What makes the toadfish come out from under the rock?
5)
How long will it take for the toadfish to get into a regular routine with the newly
designed tank?
Things We Would Change
● Along with moving rocks around, remove
some from tank
Why is it helpful?
● Since the toadfish is not scene often
What we would do if project was cont.
● Continue to chang tank around and study
the toadfish movements
Bibliography
Works Cited
Castro, Peter, and Michael E. Huber. Eighth Edition Marine Biology. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
EOL. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <__http://eol.org/pages/225201/details__>.
"Fish of the Month." Fisheries. N.p., 14 July 1999. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. <__http://www.fisheries.vims.edu/toadfish.htm__>.
Grabowski, Jonathan, and David Kimbro. Predator-Avoidance Behavior Extends Trophic Cascades to Refuge Habitats. N.p.:
Ecological Society of America, n.d. Print.
"Oyster Toadfish." Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <__http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/437108/oyster-toadfish__>.
"Oyster Toadfish." Chesapeake Bay Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.
<__http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/oyster_toadfish__>.
"Toadfish Opsanus tau (Linnaeus) 1766." GMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2014. <__http://www.gma.org/fogm/Opsanus_tau.htm__>.
Tullock, John H. Your First Marine Aquarium. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.