Types of Fish
 What are the three main types of fish?
Lamprey, hagfish
jawless
 _________________
Sharks, skates and rays
cartilagenous
 _________________
bony
Bass, tuna, mackerel, etc
 _________________
 Can you give examples of each?
What are the four basic body
forms?
fusiform
 ___________________
depressed
 ___________________
compressed
 ___________________
attenuated
 ___________________
Name the Body Form
Fusiform
Attenuated
Compressed
Depressed
How much of a fish’s body weight
is made of muscle?
40-75%
 _______________________
What two types of muscle fibers
are found in fish?
Why is it red?
red
Tuna, mackerel
 ___________________
Presence of myoglobin
 And
white
grouper
 ___________________
Can you give an example of a
fish with each type of fiber?
What are the names and functions
of the fins?
Dorsal-prevents
rolling
Pectoralturning,
balancing, and
braking
Caudal-main
locomotion
Pelvic-turning,
balancing and
braking
Anal-prevents
rolling
What are the types of feeders?
predators
Shark, pirahna, etc
 __________________

Blackfish, parrotfish
nibblers
__________________
Can you give an example of each?
strainers
Herring, whale shark
 __________________
Sturgeon, carp
suckers
 __________________
parasites
Hagfish, lamprey
 __________________
What type of digestive system do
fish have?
One-Way
 __________________
Which organ of the digestive system
has teeth for grinding and tearing?
pharynx
 ________________
Why would a fish have a sac shaped
stomach instead of a tube shaped
stomach?

Sac shaped stomach result from fish that eat both
meat and plant matter because it takes longer to
digest plant matter.
_______________________________
Why would a fish have longer
intestines than another?
Meat eaters have shorter intestines than omnivores
because it takes longer to digest plant matter.
What type of circulatory system do
fish have?
closed
 __________________
How many chambers does a fish
heart have?
Two-one ventricle and one auricle
 ____________________
What protein in the blood is used
to transport oxygen?
hemoglobin
 _____________________
Which type of fish does not have
hemoglobin in its blood?
WHY??
icefish
 _______________________
The cold water holds enough
oxygen so that their blood does
not need the hemoglobin
What are the three parts of a fish
gill?
Gill filaments
allow dissolved oxygen to diffuse into the blood
 ______________________
Gill arches
support gill rakers and gill filaments
 ______________________
prevent particles in water from damaging filaments
Gill rakers
 ______________________
How does each part help the fish
accomplish respiration?
What is the countercurrent
system?
 Blood flows in opposite direction of water outside gill
filaments. This accentuates the gradient between the
two substrates.
What is the function of the swim
bladder?

Maintains buoyancy-allows fish
to change density to adjust
position in the water.
____________________
Which types of fish do not have
swim bladders?
cartilagenous
______________________
What does ectothermic mean?
 Fish cannot change their body temperature, they take
on the temperature of their environment.
Fish are the first to have this type
of nervous system.
 Central Nervous System-Spinal Cord with a Brain
What are the nares?
 Olfactory sensors-detect chemicals
What are semicircular canals?
 Inner ear of fish that detects gravity and rotation.
Gives the fish equilibrium and balance.
What is the purpose of the lateral
line organ?
 Detects vibrations in the water-movement and sound
What is electroreception?
 Ability to detect electric fields-location of prey
Which type of fish have highly
developed electroreception?
Rays and sharks
What types of fish can generate
electricity?
 Electric fish, electric eels, electric rays
Which organs are involved in
excretion?
 Nephrons, or kidneys
How do fish get rid of nitrogenous
waste?
 Across the gills
How do fresh water fish maintain
water balance?
 Do not drink, excess water is eliminated through
extremely dilute urine
How do salt water fish maintain
water balance?
 Drink water, eliminate excess salt through urine,
extremely concentrated urine to combat water loss.
What reproductive method do fish
use?
 They are oviparous with external fertilization
Which types of fish can give birth
to live young?
 Some sharks-hammerhead, gray reef shark are
examples
Which types of fish brood their
young?
 Cichlids, seahorses, pipefish