Names: Shantol Edwards and Suwaynie Campbell

ID#: Ch20169900, CH20169998

Course: Animal Diversity

Date: 13/04/2018

Topic: Fish Dissection

Aim: To examine the external and internal anatomy of the fish.

Apparatus/Material: Scalpel, Water, Hand lens, dissecting kit, Microscope slide and cover slip,

Microscope, Paper towel, Dissecting board, Petri dish

Introduction:

Fish, the member of the Animalia Kingdom is classified into Phylum Chordata and

Vertebrata Subphylum. Fishes poses notochord, tubular nerve chord, paired gills, segmentation

of the body parts, post anal tail, ventral heart, and an endoskeleton to be the member of the

Chordata. In order to be a vertebrate, it poses backbone. This back bone supports and protects the

spinal cord. Today fishes make up the largest group of vertebrates with 24,000 species. Fishes

have their habitats in lakes, streams, oceans, and estuaries. Fishes are cold blooded animals

(Ectothermic) that are covered with scales and equipped with a pair of fins to swim in the water.

They are provided with a special organ called gills which are used for respiration. With the help

of gills, they draw oxygen from the water and into the blood stream. Fishes reproduce by laying

eggs.
 All the species of the fish found in the world are classified into the following three groups.

They are: Agnatha - jawless fish, Chrondrichthyes - cartilaginous fish, Osteichthyes - bony fish,

Ray finned group, Lobe finned group.

Method/ Procedure:

Examining the external anatomy of the fish:

 The fish was defrosted and washed with clean water, it was then placed on the dissecting

board and a hand lens used to view the eye, operculum, nostril and lateral line.

 The different fins on the fish were observed and recorded.

 A scale was removed from the fish and used to prepare a slide for viewing. The age of the

fish was estimated by the number of rings found on its body surface. The type of scale

was also determined by its shape.

Examining the internal anatomy of the fish:

 The fish was turned on its side and the forceps and a sharp scissor used to lift and cut

away the operculum off one side. After the operculum had been removed the gills lying

underneath were observed using the hand lens.

 After viewing the gills, the scissor was used to cut one full section from the structure. The

single gill removed was viewed using the hand lens and the gill filaments, gill rakers and

gill arch were observed. The gill was drawn and labeled on a sheet of blank paper.

 The side of the fish was then carefully removed using the scissors and scalpel as to not

damage any of the internal organs.

  After all of the muscle and flesh had been removed from the side of the fish the internal

organs were exposed and were identified using the forceps and the hand lens. The organs

identified were the heart, stomach, spleen, intestine, gonads, air bladder, kidney and

spinal cord.

Observation:

Table showing the anatomy of the fish’s fins observed in the experiment

Name of Fin No. Supported by Function

spines, rays or both

Pectoral 2 Rays For locomotion and side to side movement

Pelvic 2 Spines and rays Helps to keep the fish balanced and for fine

tuning of its movements.

Dorsal 1 Spines and rays Lends stability in swimming

Anal 1 Spines and rays Lends stability in swimming

Caudal 1 Rays Tail fin, used for propulsion

Discussion:

The aim of the experiment was to examine the external and internal anatomy of the fish,

to carry out this experiment a boney fish was used (red-snapper). Class Osteichthyes includes all

bony fishes. Bony fishes share several distinguishing features: a skeleton of bone, scales, paired

fins, one pair of gill openings, jaws, and paired nostrils.

 The first part of the experiment was to examine the external features of the fish, the teeth

were examined and then the pectoral fins. There are two pairs of pectoral fins on the side of the

fish just behind the gill. The pelvic fins were examined as well; this is on the ventral part of the

fish. Also the dorsal and the anal fins were identified. During the external examination of the

fish, a pigmented stripe was identified. This is the location of the lateral line sense organs, which

contain the hair cells for detecting water movement. The fish had a small opening, it is for

urinary, genital and the digestive tracts. This opening is known as the vent. The final features

that were identified in the external examination of the fish were the nares (nostrils). The nostrils

found in the fish are interestingly used for used for olfaction, not for breathing. Unlike humans

their nostrils do not connect to their mouth. The operculum was also identified it is a hard

covering, over the gills.

Furthermore, after the external examination was completed, a gill was removed from the fish

and identified. When the gill was suspended in water the filaments opened. It was observed that

the gill filament was supported by a boney gill arch, with spiny gill rakers. The gills play a very

integral role in the fish’s life as the fish’s blood must flow through the gills to get oxygenated.

Hence, the gills are filled with blood vessels.

The fish was dissected so view the internal organs, the liver, digestive tract, swim bladder,

kidney and heart were located.

The liver in the fish role is similar as in humans, it secretes bile into the gall bladder, from which

the bile passes into the intestines and aid in digestion. Also the digestive tract of the fish is

roughly similar to the one of mammals. The gonads are located in a fish that is ready to produce,

however we did not locate it in the experiment. If the fish is a male, then two testes will appear

smooth and milky but if it is a female then small eggs will be in the single ovary. The swim
 bladders, it is a large light-colored structure near the dorsal side of the body cavity. It is usually

filled with gas. Boney fishes like the one we did the experiment on (red snapper) can adjust their

buoyance by putting air in the swim bladder.

Kidneys in fish, do not resembles the one in mammals, in the fish the kidneys were long, thin

and dark. Most of the nitrogenous wastes are secreted by the gills not the kidneys. In fish urine is

produced by the kidney and enters the urinary bladder and exist through the vent.

Last but not least, we found out how old the fish that the experiment was carried out on was, the

method that was used to do so, was the examination of the scales. A scale was removed from the

fish, stained with water and viewed under the microscope. Rings were seen on the scales when

viewed under the microscope. The distinguish rings were counted to determine the fish age, the

fish was one-year-old. However, when we factor in other researches, along with the size of the

fish, we can also say that the fish is close to two years old.

The table below consists of a variety of fish that have very unusual characterists, that goes to

show that there is much diversity in the vertebrate group of fish. They are so diverse that they

fall under different classes and live in a variety of habitats due to their special features.

Title: Table Showing A list of fish and their unusual characteristics

Common name Size(length x Weight) Unusual characteristics and / or behavior

Porcupine Fish porcupinefish can Has modified scales called spines which normally lie flat on the body

grow to a maximum surface but stick straight out when the fish inflates its body with
 length of 3 feet water or air.

Short nose Six to twelve inches They have unusual Ventral fins which allows them to walk on the

batfish in size bottom of the sea floor. The pectoral fins also shoot out like arms

which helps in their “walking”.

Mudpuppy mudpuppies can be Can walk along the bottom of lakes and rivers but swims like a fish.

20 cm (8 in) long and

continue to grow to

an average length

of33 cm (13 in)

Barrel eye 6 inches (15-cm) long The fish has a dome shaped transparent head. It has an ultra-sensitive

tubular eyes covered by a green fluid shield which helps them locate

prey overhead even at pitch dark depth of the sea

Lumpfish The largest one Their pelvic fins have evolved into adhesive discs on their undersides

measured 23 inches, which allow them to cling onto various surfaces

and

weighed 13¼ pounds

Angler fish Their length can vary  large head, dead eyes, fang-like teeth, and glowing “fishing rod” that

from 20 cm (8.0 in) extends from their dorsal fin which is used as bait to attract prey.

to over 1 m (3 ft)

with weights up to 45

kg (100 lb).

Boxfish 45 centimeters (18 When stressed or injured it releases poisonous proteins from its skin
in). As the name that may prove lethal to any fish in the surrounding waters. The
 suggests, it is box- bright yellow color and black spots are a form of warning coloration
shaped. (Aposematism) to any potential predators.

Mekong catfish 3 m(9.8 ft), the The Mekong giant catfish currently holds the Guinness World

Mekong giant catfish Records' position for the world's largest freshwater fish

grows extremely

quickly, reaching a

mass of 150 to 200

kg (330 to 440 lb) in

six years.

Oarfish Giant oarfish are the  They have compressed and elongated bodies, it is also believed that

longest known living the fish "row" themselves through the water with their pelvic fins

species of bony fish,

reaching a length of

56 feet (17 meters).

They can weigh up to

600 pounds (270

kilograms).

Frilled Shark Can reach a length of Frilled sharks could gestate for as long as 42 months , nearly

2 m (6.6 ft) twice as long as African elephants carry their young.

Appendices
Figure 1: Fish before experiment Figure 2: Operculum being removed

Figure3: Gill in water Figure4: Examination of the fish

 Figure5: Dissecting the fish Figure 6: Internal organs

Figure7: Examination of internal organs Figure 8: View of the scale under the

microscope

Refferences

Fish Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.animalsworlds.com/animals-worlds-fish.html

Weitzman, S. H., & Parenti, L. R. (2018, January 18). Fish. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/animal/fish

Weitzman, S. H., & Parenti, L. R. (2018, January 18). Fish. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/animal/fish

10 fish weirder than the fish in the 10 weirdest fish in the world list. (2013, December 19).

Retrieved from http://www.southernfriedscience.com/10-fish-weirder-than-the-fish-in-

the-10-weirdest-fish-in-the-world-list