Fish
Introduction
Fish form the biggest group of vertebrates and the common ancestors of all other vertebrates, differing noticeably from other groups due to their entirely aquatic life. Fish occupy both fresh and salt waters across the globe. Their bodies are generally fusiform (tapered to each end) with fins for movement. Fish body form and fin pairing varies with the aquatic environment the fish occupies.
Key characteristics of fish:
Aquatic
Skin covered in scales, either bony or placoid (resembling teeth)
Respiration is through gills
Cold blooded (ectotherms)
Lay eggs
Additional characteristics of some fish include a swim bladder, a gas-filled organ used to adjust swimming depth. For some fish their skeletons are made from mineralised cartilage rather than bone.
The fish can be found in central cabinet 6 in the museum.
Classification:
Fish are separated into 3 major groups based on the presence of the jaw and the composition of their skeleton.
The largest group is the bony fish, representing over 95% of all fishes.
Agnatha
Jawless fish
Hagfish and lampreys.
Chondrichthyes
Cartilaginous fish
Sharks, rays, skates and chimaera.
Osteichthyes
Bony fish
All other fish groups
Fish Orders
Below is a list of the fish orders and the species included.
If you want to discover more, all groups or specific animals are hyperlinked to their respective page on Encyclopaedia Britannica or Encyclopedia of Life.
Animals present in our museum displays are highlighted by red text. The fish specimens can be found in the 6th central cabinet
Within Agnatha:
Myxiniformes - hagfish
Petromyzontiformes - lampreys
Within Chondrichthyes
Selachii - sharks
Batoidei - rays, sawfish, guitarfishes, skates and stingrays
Chimaeriformes - chimaeras also known as rat fish
Within Osteichthyes
Acipenseriformes - sturgeons and paddlefishes
Polypteriformes - bichirs and reedfish
Amiiformes - bowfins
Semionotiformes /lepisosteiformes - gars and garpikes
Osteoglossiformes - bonytongues, butterfly fishes, mooneyes, knife fishes, mormyrs
Elopiformes - tarpons and ten-pounders
Albuliformes- bonefishes, halosaurs and deep-sea spiny eels
Anguilliformes - eels
Saccopharyngiformes - gulper eels
Clupeiformes - herring and anchovies
Gonorynchiformes - milkfish, beaked sandfishes, snake mudheads
Characiformes - characins
Siluriformes - catfishes
Gymnotiformes - knifefishes, gymnotid and electric eels
Osmeriformes - argentines and smelts
Stomiiformes - dragonfishes, lightfishes, loosejaws, hatchetfishes and viperfishes
Ateleopodiformes - highfin tadpole fish
Aulopiformes - barracudinas, lizardfishes, greeneyes, pearleyes and kin
Myctophilformes - lantern fishes
Polymixiiformes - beardfishes
Percopsiformes - trout-perches, pirate perches, and cave fishes
Gobiiformes - gobies and relatives
Gadiformes - cods
Batrachoidiformes - toadfishes
Lophiiformes - goosefishes, anglerfishes, frogfishes, and batfishes
Ophidiiformes - cusk eels, brotulas, and pearlfishes
Atheriniformes - silversides
Cyprinodontiformes - killifishes and live-bearers
Beloniformes - medakas, needlefishes, halfbeaks, and allies
Mugiliformes - mullets
Stephanoberyciformes - whalefishes, bigscale fishes, and allies
Beryciformes - squirrelfishes and several deep-sea fishes
Zeiformes - dories, boarfishes, and relatives
Gasterosteiformes - sticklebacks, tubesnout fish, and seahorses
Synbranchiformes - swamp eels and spiny eels
Scorpaeniformes - scorpionfishes, sculpins, flying gurnards, and relatives
Perciformes - food and game fishes such as tuna, mackerel, sea basses etc
Pleuronectiformes - flounders, soles, halibuts, and other flatfishes
Tetraodontiformes - pufferfishes, boxfish and allies
Coelacanthiformes - coelacanths and fossil relatives
Ceratodontiformes - Australian lungfishes
Lepidosireniformes - South American and African lungfishes
Explore the different taxonomic groups of Fish using this interactive phylogenetic tree from OneZoom.
Learn more about OneZoom here
Highlights:
The museum houses a range of living species, from the primitive, jawless lampreys and hagfishes through the cartilaginous sharks, skates and rays to the abundant and diverse bony fishes.
Some of our most interesting items include:
Sawfish rostrum- the long elongated 'snout' studded with teeth which the fish uses to feed by disrupting the substate, as well as defending themselves against predators and competitors
Preserved skeletons of lampreys
Rare Freshwater European Eel - which are now critically endangered from overfishing, river pollution, migration barriers and habitat loss
Shark jaws showing their numerous rows of teeth
Megalodon tooth - the last remnants from the prehistoric apex predator of the ocean
