Day 20 Fish: Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes
The Bony Fish
-There are over 23,000 species of bony fish
-96% of all fish and about half of all vertebrates or bony fish
Characteristics of Osteichthyes
-Cycloid scales- smooth, made of bone but have skin over them
-Ctenoid scales- have tiny spins on their exposed boarder
-Operculum or Gill Cover- a flap of bony plates that protects the gills
-Usually homocercal- The lobes of the tail fin are the same size
-Fin rays- spins that support the fin
-Terminal mouth- Mouth at the end of the body unlike the ventral mouth of the chondrichthyes
-Swim Bladder- Gas filled sac just above the stomach to adjust buoyancy
-Needed since bones are heavier than cartilage.
-Chondrichthyes do not have swim bladders. If a shark stops swimming, it sinks. The swim bladder of bony fish allows them to hover in place in the water.
Kate Terbush
There are many Fish body shapes. Here are just a few.
Stream line for swimming
Example: Tuna
Laterally compressed for slow swimming around corral but can still have a burst of speed
Example: Angel Fish
Enjoy this live feed of the reef exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Look for the flattened body shapes of reef fish.
Demersal- Dorsoventrally flattened for life on the bottom
Example: Flounder
Elongated for hiding in rocks or holes
Example: Moray Eel
Then the specialized body shapes like sea horses
Example: Leafy Sea Dragon
Watch this video on Sea Horses. Create a box in your sketchbook, title it "Seahorses" and write down interesting things that you learn from the video and include an image in your sketchbook.
Mud Skippers are another great example of specialized body shapes.
Watch and enjoy this amazing fish.
Also the Stonefish
Watch and enjoy this Johnathan Bird video.
Watch this Johnathan Bird video on Venomous Fish. Create a box or separate section in your sketchbook and title it "Venomous Fish". Take notes, write down the name of each venomous fish from the video and a little fact about it. You can include pictures but you do not have to.
Watch and enjoy this short wolffish video.
Watch and enjoy this amazing fish.
Watch Jonathan Bird video on anemone fish. Create a box or separate section in your sketchbook and title it "Anemone Fish". Take notes, write down anything you might find interesting and include a picture.
Animalogic Fish Videos
These are really good videos on different and interesting fish. Watching these is optional but I would highly recommend watching a few if not all of them in order to learn about some cool fish!
This is an optional video but you should totally watch it since frogfish are one of Mr. Bird's favorite fish! Watch to see why.
Optional video, but you really should watch it. The mola mola are awesome!
This is an optional but cool video. Stargazers are creepy.
Animalogic: Moray Eels
This is an optional video. Watch it if you are interested to learn more about eels.
This is an optional but interesting video
Cartesian Divers
A Cartesian Diver works the same way the swim bladder of a fish does.
-First make your diver
-Test your diver to make sure it works
-Decorate your bottle