Form versus Function in Fishes

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Form versus Function in Fishes

• Megan Ennes
• In conjunction with the North Carolina Aquarium
  at Fort Fisher

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Form versus Function

• Body shape fits the needs of the animal
• Outside (environmental) factors can influence the
  development of an animal

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Anatomical Directions

• Dorsal
• Ventral
• Cranial
• Caudal
• Anterior
• Posterior

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Fish Parts
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Mouth Shape

• A fishs mouth tells you where in the water
  column it feeds
• You can also tell how it feeds

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Superior Mouth

• Points up
• Feeds at the surface
• Often paired with a flat back

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Tarpon Megalops atlanticus
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Terminal Mouth

• Located at the end of the body
• Usually feeds midwater
• Normal mouth
• Eat things in front of them

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Yellow Tail Snapper Ocyurus chrysurus
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Inferior Mouth

• Located ventrally
• Usually bottom feeders
• Often accompanied by barbels
• Used for locating food

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Atlantic SturgeonAcipenser oxyrhinchus
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Elongated

• Greater surface area to catch food with

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Long Nose GarLepisosteus osseus
http//rol.freenet.columbus.oh.us/aquatic_long.gif
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Blue Ribbon EelRhinomuraena quaesita
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Tubular Mouth

• Terminal mouth
• Often fused
• Suction feeding
• Straw

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Lined Seahorse Hippocamus erectus
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Body Shape

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

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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

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Surface swimmers

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

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Slow Moving Waters

• Fish that live in slow-moving waters usually have
  tall bodies and are laterally compressed.
• Lookdowns
• Selene vomer

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Bottom Feeders

• Bottom-dwelling fish often have flattened bellies
  and inferior or down turned mouths
• Southern Stingray Dasyatis americana

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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

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Atlantic Mackerel Scomber scombrus
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Fat and Wide Bodies

• Good maneuverability
• Better for close to the reef
• Easier to move around corals

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French Angelfish Pomacanthus paru
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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

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Green Moray Eel Gymnothorax prasinus
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Caudal Fin Tail

• The caudal fin, or tail, is used for propulsion,
  or movement, in most fish species.

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Lunate Tails

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

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Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares
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Forked Tails

• Fish that spend a lot of time swimming often have
  forked tails

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Channel Catfish  Ictalurus punctatus
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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
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Majestic Angelfish Pomacanthus navarchus
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Heterocercal Tail

• A tail with a long upper lobe and a shorter lower
  lobe
• Common in Sharks

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Juvenile Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier
http//www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/Tig
erShark/juvenile.JPG
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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.

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Ocellated Moray EelGymnothorax saxicola
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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.

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Examples of coloration
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Whats 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

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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?

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After your observations

• Well come back to the room and talk about what
  fish we chose.
• Well 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.

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