Form versus Function in Fishes

1. Form versus Function in Fishes Megan Ennes In conjunction with the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

2. Form versus Function • Body shape fits the needs of the animal • Outside (environmental) factors can influence the development of an animal

3. Anatomical Directions • Dorsal • Ventral • Cranial • Caudal • Anterior • Posterior

4. Fish Parts

5. A fish’s mouth tells you where in the water column it feeds You can also tell how it feeds Mouth Shape

6. Superior Mouth • Points up • Feeds at the surface • Often paired with a flat back

7. Tarpon Megalops atlanticus

8. Terminal Mouth • Located at the end of the body • Usually feeds midwater • “Normal” mouth • Eat things in front of them

9. Yellow Tail Snapper Ocyurus chrysurus

10. Inferior Mouth • Located ventrally • Usually bottom feeders • Often accompanied by barbels • Used for locating food

11. Atlantic SturgeonAcipenseroxyrhinchus

12. Elongated • Greater surface area to catch food with

13. Long Nose GarLepisosteus osseus http://rol.freenet.columbus.oh.us/aquatic_long.gif

14. Blue Ribbon EelRhinomuraena quaesita

15. Tubular Mouth • Terminal mouth • Often fused • Suction feeding • Straw

16. Lined Seahorse Hippocamus erectus

17. By looking at the overall shape of a fish, you can get an idea of where they live within the aquatic environment. Body Shape

18. Body Shapes • Fish that live at the surface usually have a flattened back and an upturned mouth. • Fish that live in slow-moving waters usually have tall bodies and are laterally compressed. • Bottom-dwelling fish have flattened bellies and inferior or down turned mouths

19. Surface swimmers • Fish that live at the surface usually have a flattened back and an upturned mouth. • Flat Needlefish

20. Slow Moving Waters • Fish that live in slow-moving waters usually have tall bodies and are laterally compressed. • Lookdowns • Selenevomer

21. Bottom Feeders • Bottom-dwelling fish often have flattened bellies and inferior or down turned mouths Southern Stingray Dasyatisamericana

22. Fast Moving Water • In fast moving waters a slender, torpedo shape is better • This body shape is also good for fish who live far from the reef: speed

23. Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus

24. Fat and Wide Bodies • Good maneuverability • Better for close to the reef • Easier to move around corals

25. French Angelfish Pomacanthus paru

26. Eel-like body • This long body shape is perfect for moving through small spaces: especially holes and caves • The trunk is undulated to provide the propulsive force

27. Green Moray Eel Gymnothorax prasinus

28. Caudal Fin: Tail • The caudal fin, or tail, is used for propulsion, or movement, in most fish species.

29. Lunate Tails • Fishes with lunate are strong, fast swimmers. • They are capable of swimming for long periods of time

30. Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares

31. Forked Tails • Fish that spend a lot of time swimming often have forked tails

32. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus

33. Truncate and Rounded Tails Truncate • Fishes with truncate or rounded caudal fins are usually strong, slow swimmers. • Fishes that live near the reef often have this type of tail because it aids in maneuverability. Rounded

34. Majestic Angelfish Pomacanthus navarchus

35. Heterocercal Tail • A tail with a long upper lobe and a shorter lower lobe • Common in Sharks

36. Juvenile Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/TigerShark/juvenile.JPG

37. Eel-like Tail • The propulsive force for a fish with this type of tail begins in the trunk of the body and moves as a wave down through the tail. • This shape is great for fitting into holes and tunnels.

38. Ocellated Moray EelGymnothorax saxicola

39. Create your own fish • Use the second worksheet we gave you • Cut out the different fish shapes • Choose one of each and glue them to a sheet of paper • Color your fish and give it a design • Name your fish • Write a paragraph telling the function of each part, where it lives, ect.

40. Examples of coloration

41. What’s next? • Choose a tank • Choose 3 fishes to sketch in your notebook • Find the name of your fishes • Label that parts of your fish using the worksheet we just made

42. For each fish answer the following questions: 1. Where do you think this fish lives on the reef? What about this fish leads you to that decision? 2. Where do you think the fish eats? What mouth shape does it have? 3. Is it a schooling fish or does it appear to be solitary? 4. Is your fish territorial? How can you tell? 5. How does your fish swim? Is it built for speed? Maneuverability? How can you tell? 6. Does your fish live close to the reef or far away? What body shape does it have? 7. Is your fish well adapted to its environment? Why or why not?

43. After your observations: • We’ll come back to the room and talk about what fish we chose. • We’ll discuss as a group what we decided for each fish. • We do not expect you to be right, just be able to explain why you made the decision you did.