Counter Shading
when viewed from above the dark blends in with surrounding dark watered and when viewed from below, white belly blends in with the brightly lit surface used for camouflage
Zooplanktivorous
whale, megamouth, basking sharks - filter small planktonic animals from water column
Caudal Fin
fin extending from the tail that moves from side to side and amplifies the swimming motions
Heterocercal
possessing a tail with the upper lobe larger than the lower and with the vertebral column prolonged into the upper lobe
Claspers
modified pelvic fins on a male shark that allows for transfer of sperm to female
Teeth
These within a shark are constantly being replaced
Fins, meat, oil, leather, cartilage and sport
Humans exploit sharks to get these
16 centimenters - 14 meters
What are the range of shark sizes
Vertebrae
bony segments composing the spinal column that provide structural support for the body and protect the spinal cord
Gnathostomes
jawed vertebrates
Cartilaginous fish
Sharks, skates, rays, chimaeras
Chondrichthyes
What class are cartilaginous fish found in?
Placoid scales
cartilaginous fishes; project from surface with a spine extending posteriorly; toothlike; sandpaper-like texture
Why do fish secrete mucus?
It provides protection against parasites and diseases, covers wounds to prevent infection and helps fish move through the water faster
Operculum
a hard flap serving as a cover for (a) the gill slits in fishes or (b) the opening of the shell in certain gastropods when the body is retracted
What requirements does an animal need to be a 'fish'?
Cold-blooded, have fins, and a backbone
Can fish detect color?
Yes
Vent
The external opening to digestive urinary and reproductive tracts
Kidney Functions
Filters liquid waste materials from the blood and regulates water and salt concentrations within the fish's body
Shark eyes can___
(pupils) dilate and constrict (eylid closes from bottom to top)
Fusiform body
Sleek body shape that minimizes the surface area deflecting the water (streamline- open water-v shape tail)
Depressed body
(flattened from top to bottom), like stingrays, live on the bottom.
Terminal Mouth
This is the mouth where it is at the tip of the fish's body-feeds head on
Globular body
sedentary lifestyle, pectoral fins enlarged (support body)
Upper Mouth
Top feeder - near surface
Lower Mouth
Bottom feeder
What sense do fish usually use to detect food?
Smell
Eye spots
Near the tail to draw attention of a predator (form of mimicry)
Warning Coloration
Bright coloration that warns predators that the potential prey is distasteful or even poisonous.
Dermal Teeth reduce what for sharks?
turbulence
Sharks have no swim bladder - What do they use for buoyancy?
a large liver, filled with oil that contains squalene and a body of cartilage (half as dense as bone)
Tonic Immobility
when the shark becomes immobile when inverted or stroked on the nose
Shark Reproduction
They produce a small number of well-developed young as opposed to a large number of poorly developed young
Carnivorous (sharks)
(used of plants as well as animals) feeding on animals