Adaptations in Fish
Body Part
Mouth
Eyes
Fins
Body shape
Scales
Coloration
Fantastic Fish
Adaptation
at the end of the snout,
symmetrical
angled downward/longer upper
jaw
angled upward/longer lower
jaw
strong jaws - teeth
sucker-shaped
barbels
duckbill jaws
no teeth
very large mouth
both on the same side of the
head
small
large
Large, forked caudal fin
spines on fins
large pelvic fins
small pelvic fins
round
flat bottomed
long, eel-like
torpedo shaped
flat from side to side
flat from top to bottom
hump backed
large
small
no markings
stripes
mottled
countershading – dark on top,
light on bottom
stripe through eye
false eye spot
Purpose
open water feeder
feeds on prey below it, bottom feeder
feeds on prey above it, surface feeder
preys on other fish
eats small plants and animals
feeds off bottom, senses food in murky
water
grasps its prey
eats plankton
surrounds prey
lies flat on the bottom of the ocean
shallow water fish
usually deep water fish
strong, fast swimmer
protection, more difficult to swallow, can be
poisonous
bottom dweller
open water swimmer
difficult to swallow, slow swimmer
feeds on the bottom
hides in rocks and weeds
high speed swimmer
almost invisible from the front and rear,
feeds above and below
hides on the bottom
stable in fast moving water
uses its scales for protection
fast swimmer
swims in the open water
hides in seaweeds and grasses
hides in rocks or on the bottom
less visible to predators above and below
helps to camouflage fish by hiding the eye
predator will attack tail giving fish a greater
chance to escape
 Susan Seagraves