General Fish Biology + Sharks

General Fish Biology

1. What is a fish related to? Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Agnatha (lampreys) Class Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) Class Osteichthyes (bony fishes) Class Osteichthyes 18,000 species 2. Fish dissection External Anatomy mouth, gills, operculum, fins, scales, lateral line Internal Anatomy heart, liver, pyloric caeca, stomach, intestines, kidneys, swim bladder 3. What structures define a fish? Fins allow most fishes to move (dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, anal, caudal) Scales provide most fishes with protection (ganoid, cycloid, ctenoid) Gills remove oxygen from the water Lateral line sensory organ detecting movement Swim bladder gas-filled organ, controlling the fishes buoyancy Cold blooded most fishes body are the same as the water in which they live Bony skeleton provides support; separates them from sharks 4. Anatomical specializations Fin Function different groups of fishes use different fins for movement through the water or across the bottom Most fishes use their tails to propel them forward Wrasses use their pectoral fins most of the time Trigger fishes undulate the dorsal and anal fins Tunas have finlets for added efficiency Frogfishes (and others) have adapted their pelvic fins for walking along the bottom Flying fish use their pectoral fins to glide great distances through the air Body shape fusiform, or bass-like, is the norm, but many variations exist Tunas are adapted perfectly for moving constantly fast through the water Depressed shape. Flatfishes are able to bury themselves on the bottom

Fish diagram

Dissection Biology 190 DVD

DVD #1 fish swimming clip Times 0:00 0:35 flying fish Striped bass Tuna Flatfish Lookdown Eel Barracuda 1

General Fish Biology + Sharks Compressed shaped. Laterally flattened. Helps get into cracks and crevices. Ribbon shaped. Eels are long and flexible, enabling them to move through small holes Ron shaped. Barracuda have a long, rigid body that does not bend very much.

Butterfly fish

Mouth shape and size fishes mouths are adapted for very specific types of prey Butterfly fishes use long noses to pick prey out of hard to reach places Some deep sea fishes are able to swallow HUGE meals Angler fishes use a lure to attract prey close enough to consume (other fishes use light organs the same way (Finding Nemo) Anchovies open their mouths and rely on their gill rakers to filter tiny food items Many fishes use strong teeth and even plates to crush very hard prey (triggers, parrots, wrasses, puffers) Swordfish use a very long bill to stun prey Sawfish use their rostrum to kill or stun prey and then eat them off of the bottom. Coloration fish use different coloration for different purposes Many fish camouflage themselves as a means for defense (sargassum fish, leafy sea dragons, kelp fish) Other fish blend in as a means to catch prey (cabezon, scorpion fish, stone fish) Some flat fishes are able to change color to match their environment Counter-shading is a form of camouflage use by open water fish, allowing them to hide from predators both above and below; predators can use counter-shading to get closer to prey Silvery fish combined with schooling behavior confuses predator and gives these fish a greater chance at survival Some groups use bright colors as a warning to others that they are venomous (surgeon fish, rabbit fish) Why are garibaldis bright in color? Specialized sense many fishes have extra/absent senses to help in their environment Members of the croaker family use sound socially, possibly to attract mates. They have highly enlarged ear bones as well in order to detect these sounds. Goatfish have barbells on their chins which they use to distinguish prey on the substrate

Anglerfish

Pufferfish mouth Sawfish

Sea Dragon Stonefish camo Flatfish camo Countershading

Schooling fish Surgeon fishrabbit fish Garibaldi

White sea bass sound DVD

Cavefish Cavefish I Elephant fishknife fish

General Fish Biology + Sharks Cave fish have evolved to be blind, as they have no use for sight Elephant and knife fish use electrical sense in order to detect prey in very murky environments Electric eels and torpedo rays use an electrical charge to catch prey Male deep sea anglerfishes have a superb sense of smell in order to find a female mate in sparsely populated environments Warm bloodedness has evolved in some tunas, allowing them to maintain high metabolisms in colder oceans 5. Reproductive strategies Broadcast spawning males and females release gametes into the water within close enough proximity to ensure fertilization The formation of spawning aggregations helps make sure there are enough individuals in the area for good reproductive success Fishes using this strategy can produce millions of eggs at a time, increasing the odds that at least a few will survive The majority of species using this means of reproduction are known to synchronize breeding with lunar cycles Egg laying other fishes lay eggs and guard nests, until their young hatch These fish tend to produce many less eggs, instead investing resources in ensuring their eggs hatch Live birth some species give birth to live, fully formed babies Species such as surf perches, sea horses, and pipefish give birth to fewer still babies These young skip the precarious larval stage and have a much greater chance for survival Parental care after birth some cardinalfish parents actually let their young make a temporary home in their mouths, even after hatching in order to ensure maximum survival potential Mate selection those species that invest the most into relatively few offspring can also be more selective when it comes to choosing a mate. Sea dragons can perform reproductive dances for hours before finally transferring eggs. Sex change many species of wrasses and basses are able to change from females to males at some stage in their lives 6. The environment and habitats in which fishes live Species of fishes are found in almost every body of water throughout the world Fish can be found in water as cold as 28 F (below freezing!) Fish can live from a few months (small reef fish) up to a

Male anglerfish

Spawning

Fish Eggs Skate egg case

Perch

Mouth brood joke

Female sheephead Male sheephead

Stout Infantfish Whale Shark

General Fish Biology + Sharks couple hundred years (rockfish, koi) Size range of fish varies quite a bit. Smallfish fish in the world is the stout infantfish and the largest is the whale shark. i. Smallest vertebrate as well as smallest bony fish at 7mm (less than a cm!) and is no longer the width of a pencil. Females may reach up to 8.4 cm ii. Lives along the Great Barrier Reef iii. Paedomorphic- They retain infantile characteristics even as an adult iv. Otolith studies indicate that females are longer in size but shorter lived at 2-4 weeks, males at 2 months. v. There are several generations a year indicating that they can evolve quickly to combat global warming and human development in their specialized habitat. Largest bony fish is an ocean sunfish or a mola mola. i. Over 10 feet and weigh up to 5,000 lbs ii. Found in tropical and temperate oceans iii. Odd fish that swims using its dorsal and anal fins, using its caudal fin as a rudder to steer it. iv. Large, fused, beak-like teeth in front to eat jellies v. Deep divers that bask at the surface to thermally recharge after their chilly dive. Birds often sit on the mola at the surface and pick off parasites that are attached. More than 40 different kinds of parasites can attach to these fish. vi. Slow swimmers that comprise 25% of the CA bycatch and 90% or the swordfish bycatch in Spain Can be found from the surface to over 27,000 feet (cusk eel) Some just sit on the bottom as still as possible (frogfish), Others can swim close to 70 mph (sailfish) i. In a series of speed trials carried out at the Long Key Fishing Camp, Florida, USA, one cosmopolitan sailfish took out 300 ft (91 m) of line in three seconds, equivalent to a velocity of 68 mph (109 km/h). Short lived bursts of speed. ii. By comparison, the cheetah, the fastest land mammal over short distances, can reach top speeds of around 60 mph (96.5 km/h). iii. Other fast fish include the swordfish at about 56 mph (90 km/h), the tuna at about 43 mph (70 km/h), and the salmon at about 25 mph (40 km/h).

Mola Mola

Stonefih camo

Sailfish Bio 190 DVD

Salmon

General Fish Biology + Sharks Not only do fish live in salt and fresh water, many fish can live in both (salmon, sturgeon, striped bass). Salmon have to return to freshwater streams to reproduce, while striped bass can live completely in saltwater, freshwater, or go back and forth. 7. Other categories Archerfish best marksman Archerfish i. Swim directly under the insect to lesson the distortion. ii. Push tongue against groove in the top of their mouth to form a narrow channel that can shoot water up to 10 feet away, though they are most Poison puffer accurate at 5 feet. iii. They prefer to jump out of the water and grab the insect if it is within reach, lessons the chance that another will get their meal. Puffer fish most poisonois i. Puffer fish of the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific region have a fatally poisonous toxin called tetrodotoxin and is about 1200 times deadlier than cyanide. Less than 0.1g (0.004 oz) is enough to kill an adult in as little as 20 minutes. ii. The fish's ovaries, eggs, blood, liver intestines, and, to a lesser extent, its skin, contain the poison. iii. The pufferfish does not create the poison itself; rather it is generated by various genera of bacteria within the fish. iv. Considered a delicacy in Japan where you must be a specially liscenced chef to sell to the public and the consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. But because small amounts of the poison give a special desired sensation on the tongue, these parts are considered the most delicious by some gourmets. Every year a number of people die because they mis-estimate the amount of poison in the consumed fish parts. Tropical Species: The Parrotfishes Parrot-like beaks and brilliant colors Similar (and closely related) to wrasses Algae / seagrass / coral feeders Most important sediment producers on the reef! DVD #2 Clip #1 Parrot fish 0:00-0:35

General Fish Biology + Sharks The Pufferfishes can inflate with water (even air) tough, scaleless skin beak like dental plates tetrodontoxin can be deadly! Starry puffer

Porcupine fish

The Wrasses at least 130 sp elongated bodies pectoral fin swimming sex-reversal is universal Temperate Species: Left-eye and Right-eye Flounders All halibut are flounder, but not all flounder are halibut. . . Amazing life history Kelpfishes Banana yellow to brown plaid in color Use modified pelvic fin to grasp kelp Blend into the bottom or the kelp Female attaches eggs to kelp and male guards them Long single dorsal fin Have scales and fleshy appendages called cirri on their head. Single row of oscillated spots along upper side Short pectoral fins do not reach the beginning of anal fin Rockfish Member of Sebastidae, genus Sebastes meaning magnificent 129 species Bass like with heavy, compressed bodies with large mouths, jutting lower jaws and large lips Size varies from 6 inches to over 3 feet Small spines on operculum Venomous sacks on dorsal, anal and pelvic spines Head large and spiny with bony ridge on cheek Dorsal fin usually notched, spines venomous Most live on or near the bottom and feed on crustaceans and fishes Most are well camouflaged Old

Checkerboard wrasse Cleaner wrasse Napoleon wrasse

Kelpfish

Copper Rockfish

Mako Rockfish

General Fish Biology + Sharks

Sharks
What is a Shark? A shark is a cartilaginous fish. There is one other cartilaginous fish called a ratfish. All others are either sharks or rays. Sharks eat fish and squid. What is a Ray? A ray is a flat shark. Currently they are not scientifically described separately. They are sharks. Rays are defined as different from other sharks in having there pectoral fins fused to their heads and with their gills under their bodies Why do they have a skeleton of cartilage? A sharks skeleton is made of cartilage. Sharks lack a swim bladder so if they stop swimming they sink. They dont die. Cartilage is lighter than bone and so it makes it easier for the shark to stay up in the water. So what do they look like? General Body Form and Fins Sharks typically have a fusiform body with five to seven gill openings. They have all of the same fins that bony fishes have. Some sharks and all rays have Spiracles. These Spiracles allow the shark or ray to breath clean water down to their gills while lying on the bottom A Sharks caudal or tail fin usually had an upper lobe greater than the lower. Scientists are not sure why this is. Energy conserving slow moving sharks have substantially larger upper lobes to their caudal fins. Fast moving sharks have more evenly distributed upper and lower lobes. A sharks pectoral fins are used as wings. They provide lift for the shark maintaining its position in the water. A sharks scales are called Dermal Denticles. This would translate into skin teeth. They are really teeth. They are made of the same stuff and grow in a similar manner. They are used primarily for protection but may also help a shark to streamline its body. A Stingrays Sting is a Modified dermal denticle. They use their sting only in defense. 1/3 of all stingray stings for the whole United States happen in Seal Beach, between the jetty and the pier. Shark Senses Hearing (kms) (1 mile): Sharks and rays have ears located on top of their head behind their eyes. These ears are sensitive to Fin image from mythbuster Mako Shark Dogfish spiracle Stingray Spircale Bull Shark

Stingray

Bull Shark

Denticles

Southern Stingray 7

General Fish Biology + Sharks low frequency vibrations, like those of a struggling animal. Olfaction smelling (100s m) (1,000 feet): Sharks and rays have a keen sense of smell they are able to detect extremely low concentrations of body fluids (1 drop per million). Odors are detected by the sharks nostrils. The nostrils are folds that allow water to pass through and do not connect to the throat. Lateral Line Hearing (100m) (300 feet): Sharks and rays can detect water movements using their lateral line. The lateral line is a series of canals and nerves that runs from head to tail and is used to sense other animals moving around them. White Vision (10s m) (70 feet): Sharks and rays in general have good eyesight. They have both rods and cones so they may even have color vision. 10 meters may not seem that far but this is as clear Lateral Line as many coastal waters get. Electrical sense (cms) (4 inches): At very close range sharks can sense the electrical fields produced by living animals. Muscles and nerves make electrical fields that are detected by the Ampullae Ampullae of Lorenzini. Sharks and rays use this sense to help them detect buried prey and to guide their mouths to their food. Touch and Taste: Sharks and rays have discriminating palettes. They dont like the way that people taste. These animals also use their sense of touch to explore their world. Jaw

Once they find their food what do they do with it? A shark may lose 30,000 teeth in a lifetime. Because a shark has no bones it has nothing for its teeth to fuse with so they fall out easily. They are constantly falling out and being replaced. Not all sharks have the same kind of teeth although most have pointy teeth because most eat fish. Sharp and Pointy: Sharks with this type of tooth are fish eaters. They grasp and swallow their food whole. Example: Mako, blacktip, Leopard Serrated: This type of tooth is used to tear chunks out of prey. By moving their heads side to side or spinning the serrated edge is used as saw. Often the shark will have serrated teeth and nonserrated teeth in their mouth. One set is used to grasp the other to tear. Crushing: This tooth is used to crush invertebrates. Inverts are not slippery but do have hard shells protecting them that need to be cracked open. No teeth: Whale sharks and Basking sharks have teeth but they are very small and are not used to capture food. These two biggest fish in the sea are plankton eaters. They filter plankton

Serrated teeth

Ray Jaw

Basking Shark

General Fish Biology + Sharks with long extensions of their gills called gill rakers. These two sharks are the biggest fish in the sea. When taking a bite a sharks body changes. Often the snout is pulled back and the jaw is thrust forward. Life history and Reproduction Female versus male sharks General Longevity and life style Sharks and rays in general have a long life span. They typically reach sexual maturity late in life and have few offspring. Spiny dogfish can live to be 75 years old and have the longest gestation period of any animal at up to 24 months. Female and male shark Whale Shark Basking Shark Bio 190 DVD

Reproductive strategies There are many reproductive strategies in sharks and rays. All sharks and rays have internal fertilization. Male sharks use organs called claspers to inseminate females. The one common characteristic is that they have few young that well developed young that have no larval stage. After laying eggs or giving birth there is no further parental involvement. o Egg Laying Some sharks and all skates (a type of ray) lay eggs. These eggs take 3-15 months to hatch. There is a lot of yolk provided for the developing young. Often the eggs are anchored to kelp or a rock by filaments. The eggs may also resemble kelp. o Live birth i. Internalized Eggs The most basic form of live birth is internalizing the eggs. This is probably the most common type of shark and ray reproduction. Developing young are fed off of a yolk sack. In rays the young absorb the yolk and then continue to grow by consuming or absorbing a nutrient rich fluid secreted by the mother. ii. Ovophagy Some young are nourished by consuming unfertilized eggs that the mother releases throughout her pregnancy. Example: Mako iii. Intrauterine Cannibalism A very few sharks practice this mode of live birth where the first developed young eats all of its brothers and sisters. Sandtiger Sharks practice this mode of reproduction and actually have two uteruses (uteri?) and can therefore only have two babies at a time.

White tip mating

Shark Egg case

Cannibals Bio 190 DVD

General Fish Biology + Sharks

iv. Placental Live Birth This is the most advanced type of live birth. Young are attached to the mothers blood stream via an umbilical chord and a placenta. Conservation Shark Attack Sharks do not eat people. Very few attacks happen world wide each year and all shark attacks are either provoked or a case of mistaken identity. The silhouette of a surfer or diver may look like a seal or sea lion and flashing jewelry may look like a fish in murky water.

Live Birth

Jaws Poster Mistaken Identity

Shark Finning People eat sharks its not the other way around. Each year 10s of thousands of sharks are caught and killed. Often they are just finned. The fins are cut from the body and the carcass is thrown overboard. Today I would argue that there is a crisis in shark populations. We know Shark Fins very little about the existing stocks of shark species and we know even less about the past population sizes. One thing is clear, sharks and rays are long lived and slow to reproduce and they cannot sustain the fishery that is ongoing. Today it is illegal to fin sharks in US territorial waters. Unfortunately many sharks live outside this boundary. Who would you save? Unfortunately it is difficult to gain mass support for protection of sharks. Cute fuzzy things are relatively easy to protect, think dolphin safe tuna. Sharks however are important role players in the ocean, keystone predators that affect the balance of life, including dolphins. The Most of shark world Biggest whale shark i. Biggest shark and biggest fish at over 40 feet long and 15 tons ii. Large mouth at 4 feet wide! iii. Skin is 4 thick iv. Small at birth, only 16- 20 inches (40- 50 cm) v. Like all the other large animals that we have heard of so far, the whale shark also eats plankton! Smallest - Pygmy ribbontail catshark vi. Reaching maximum length of 7- 8 inches. vii. 7-inch (18-centimetre) female might give birth to one or even two 4.3-inch (11-centimetre) pups. viii. Feeds on small bony fish and crustaceans ix. Ovoviparous Dolphin vs. Shark Shark media clips DVD

Whale Shark

Dwarf Lantern

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General Fish Biology + Sharks Shortfin Mako

Fastest shortfin mako i. Shortfin Mako can reach speeds of 54 mph (88 km/h). ii. Mako Sharks are sometimes seen making spectacular leaps up to 6m out of the water. It has been calculated that for the fish to leap to this height it must have been swimming at 35.2 km/h. Basking Longest gestation - Basking shark Shark i. Second largest fish at 33 feet and up to 4 tons ii. They have a 3.5 year long gestation iii. They are believed to be ovoviviparous, giving birth to live pups. iv. The young are generally 5 to 5.6 feet (1.5 to 1.7 meters) long and they have 1- 2 at a time v. Females reach sexual maturity when they are between 13.2 to 16.5 feet (4 to 5 meters) long or 2- 4 years old Biggest MouthWhale shark Whale shark i. It swims mouth open, sucking in masses of water and plankton and catching them with their gill rakers. ii. The thousands of gill rakers are bristly structures about 4 inches or 10 cm long in the shark's mouth that trap the small organisms which the shark then swallows. iii. The water is expelled through the sharks 5 pairs of gill slits. iv. The prey includes plankton, krill, small fish, and squid. v. The shark can process over 1500 gallons (6000 liters) of water each hour. General Longevity and life style Sharks and rays in general have a long life span. They typically reach sexual maturity late in life and have few offspring. Spiny dogfish can live to be 75 years old and have the longest gestation period of any animal at up to 24 months.

Local shark species Leopard Shark: 5-7 feet Eat fish and crustaceans. Live coastal in kelp forests bay and along sandy beaches. Horn Shark: 3 feet Eat inverts. Can have spines and teeth that turn purple from eating urchins Bat Ray: 6 feet wide Eats inverts. Can create suction with its mouth to suck in food items from soft sediments. Round Stingray: 22 inches Eats Inverts. This stingray is responsible for most stings in California. 1/3 of all stingray stings for all the US occur in mile of beach in the city of Seal Beach Leopard Shark Horn shark Bat Ray Round Stingray

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General Fish Biology + Sharks Blue Shark:13 feet Eats fish, squid, and carrion. One of the once most common oceanic sharks found around the world Seven Gill Shark: 10 feet Eats anything. One of the few sharks with more than 5 gill openings Dogfish: 5 feet Eats fish and squid. Has the longest gestation of any animal at 24 months Blue Shark 7 gill shark Spiny dogfish

Most Aggressive Sharks Tiger Sharks: 24 feet White Sharks: 22 feet Juveniles eat fish adults also feed on marine mammals. Bull Sharks: 11.5 feet Eats large fish. Tiger Shark Great White Bull Shark

* Bring stinger to class

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