Common Traits, Habitats, & Fun Facts

Fish FactsIn Pennsylvania, with some 83,000 miles of streams

and rivers and hundreds of lakes, there are currently over 160 species of fish in about 24 different families.

Fish are very old forms of life, with some species seeming to be unchanged “ THE SHARK” in body form from their fossilized ancestors found in rocks hundreds of millions of years old.

Other fish have changed dramatically over time, in body shape, function and probably behavior, to survive or prosper in habitats that have been altered or to take advantage of new habitat opportunities.

Eeewww….I GOT SLIMEDWhat else do most fish have in common? Their

skin is protected and lubricated by mucous glands. The skin is also generally covered by scales, or in a few fish, bony plates. Catfish and bullheads also have only skin and no plates or scales.

Most fish reproduce by laying small, round, jellylike eggs in sandy bottoms of our lakes and streams. They are all adapted to living in water, which is dense, generally colder than air, and fish must also withstand the forces of water pressure.

DefinitionsAnadromous Relating to fish, such as salmon or

shad, that migrate up rivers from the sea to breed in fresh water.

Catadromous Living in fresh water but migrating to marine waters to breed. - (of fishes such as the eel) migrating down rivers to the sea in order to breed

“Ectothermic” means they tend to assume the temperature of their surroundings, instead of generating their own body heat

Osteichthyes - a class of fish having a skeleton composed of bone in addition to cartilage Most fish reproduce by spawning, and so do most other aquatic animals,

The Salmon Run

Sockeye Salmon -Spawning

Salmon There are six kinds of salmon. Atlantic, Chinook, Chum, Coho, Pink, Sockeye. Most salmon spawn in the summer or autumn. They swim as far as 2000

miles from the ocean. It may take them several months. The female lays her eggs in a shallow stream with a gravely bottom.

Laying between 2,000 & 17,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in about four months; they lay under the gravel for many more months. Some leave the freshwater immediately for the ocean. Others spend three to four months in freshwater. .

When they reach the ocean they live from 6 to 7 years. They feed mainly on fish, shrimp, squid and small fish.

Salmon can travel thousands of miles they have instincts that are like a GPS tracking system which guides them back to the lake or stream where they were born . They stop eating when they reach freshwater. They live off stored food and fat. As they travel upstream their bodies start to change. For example males grow a hooked snout. Many fish don't complete their spawning journey because commercial fisherman catch enormous amounts of salmon.

After salmon enter freshwater their flesh loses flavor and color. Most Salmon are caught as they leave the ocean.

Black Nosed Dace Black Nosed Dace are also known as minnows Size - average 40 -70 millimeters. typical habitat small running streams., •They feed on insects, worms, arachnids, mites, larvae and algae. · Elongate, stocky body · Forked tail fin · Inferior mouth; long snout, overhangs the mouth · Dark olive-colored body, dark side stripe Speckled back · •Mature by age 2 · Spawning occurs April to July in water at 15.6-22°C · Spawns in shallow, gravelly pool tails and slow runs · •Economic, or Ecological Importance: · Often found in clear streams with brook trout · Common in its range

Sunfish or Blue Gill

Sunfish – Blue Gill Bluegill live in the shallow waters of many lakes

and ponds, along with slow-moving areas of streams and small rivers. They prefer water with many aquatic plants, and hide within fallen logs or water weeds. They can often be found around weed beds, where they search for food or spawn.

Young bluegills' diet consists of rotifers and water fleas. The adult diet consists of aquatic insect larvae (mayflies, caddisflies, dragonflies), but can also include crayfish, leeches, snails, and other small fish. The Ocean sunfish is the largest bony fish in the world weighing over 5,000 Lbs and 11ft in diameter

American Eel

American EELAmerican Eels are long, narrow, snake-like fish. They

can grow to almost five feet long.The color of these eels depends on their age and habitat

. Older eels are usually dark brown or greenish, with yellowish-white bellies. Their color can change from light to dark within a few hours. This helps them blend in with their surroundings.

The scales of these fish are embedded in the skin, which is covered with a thick mucus coating. American Eels have large heads.

American Eels are unique because they are one of the few fish that are catadromous. This means they spend most of their lives in fresh water, but return to the sea to breed.

Brown Bull Head

Channel Catfish

Catfish have two pairs of whiskers called "barbells." Unlike most fish, they don't have any scales. Several species have sharp spines on their back. They give off a poison when they get into other animals' bodies.

There are more than 2,000 different species of Catfish. Most live in freshwater, but some live in the ocean. Channel Catfish live in rivers, and can weigh up to 70 pounds. Catfish eat frogs, insects, and smaller fish. They vary in size. The largest is the European Catfish. It can grow to 10 ft and 400 pounds. The Glass Catfish only grows to be four inches.

About 45 species of Catfish are native to North America. Many catfish are raised on farms. The U.S. produces more than 300 million pounds of Catfish, mostly Channel Catfish. Most of these farms are located in Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Brown Bullhead

American Shad – Hickory Shad

American Shad The American shad or Atlantic shad, Alosa sapidissima,[1] is a

species of anadromous fish in family Clupeidae of order Clupeiformes. It is not closely related to the other North American shads. Rather, it seems to form a lineage that diverged from a common ancestor of the European taxa before these diversified [2]

It weighs between 3 pounds (1.4 kg) to 8 pounds (3.6 kg) and has a delicate flavor when cooked.[3] In the eastern United States, roe shad (females) are prized because the eggs are considered a delicacy.[4]

The shad spends most of its life at sea, but swims up fresh rivers to spawn. The fish survive breeding and can return to the sea; they do not inhabit fresh water except to spawn.[5] At sea, shad are schooling fish; thousands are often seen at the surface in spring, summer, and autumn. They are hard to find in the winter, as they tend to go deeper before spawning season; they have been pulled up in nets as deep as 65 fathoms Shad Roe – caviar

Brown Trout

Native Brook Trout

Rainbow Trout

TROUT Trout are closely related to the Salmon, the Whitefish, and Chars.

Most species live in freshwater streams and lakes. All trout have strong teeth and streamlined bodies with small scales

True Trout have dark spots on their bodies. The best known is the Rainbow Trout. It has black spots on it's upper body and a reddish band on each side. They are also known as Steelhead. The Cutthroat Trout get it's name from the reddish-orange slash on each side of the lower jaw. Other species of True Trout are Golden Trout, Apache Trout, Gila Trout, Brown Trout, and Brook Trout, Lake Trout and Steelheads.

Sea Trout aka weekfish

Most Trout spawn in streams or rivers, but some spawn in lakes with gravel bottoms and good water flow. They spawn in spring and fall.

The Trout move up to a spawning area. The female chooses a good spot. (usually in a shallow, gravel area) Then she beats her tail up and down to make a nest called a redd. The male fertilizes the eggs as the female releases them. Then the female covers the eggs with gravel. The eggs hatch in about two months. Trout feed on other fish and crayfish.

Carp – KOI

CARPIn the United States, carp are also classified as a

rough fish, as well as damaging to naturalized exotic species, but with sporting qualities. Found in Lakes, Ponds, slow running deep streams, Fountains, Backyard ponds. bottom feeders – they will eat almost anything,

Algae, worms, insects, -Anglers use doe baits, CornOver 20 Different species of Carp –KOI, Prussian, Black Tailed, Chinese, Asian, Russian and Gold fish

Walleye Pike

Walleye Pike

Native to most of Canada and Northern United States. AKA Colorful Pike

The feed on : ducks, leaches, shads, minnows, trout.

Avg size 31 inches – 20Lbs.EGG layers –some live as long as 29 yearsSandy Bottoms 10” or less, High Oxygen content

Note – Best Tasting Fresh Water fish

Chain Pickerel,Northern Pike and Muskellounge aka Musky

Tiger Musky

PIKE FAMILY Pike Family Pike is the common name of a family of freshwater fish known

for their greedy appetite and fighting quality.

Northern Pike live in the northern waters of Europe and Asia, in the Great Lakes , smaller lakes in Canada, and in the upper Mississippi Valley of North America. They can grow to be four feet long and weigh more than 40 pounds. But they usually weigh 2 to 10 pounds. It has a bluish-greenish body, with irregular rows of whitish or yellowish spots. The Northern Pike's flesh is good to eat.

Muskellunge is the largest fish in the Pike family. It may reach a length of six feet and weigh 100 pounds. Most Muskellunges are from 3 to 4 feet long and weigh anywhere from 5 to 36 pounds. The life span of a Muskellunge is about twenty five years. The Muskellunge lives in the lakes and quiet rivers of southern Canada. It is also found in the upper Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence and Ohio Rivers. Many people consider the Muskellunge among the best eating fish.

Pickerel is the name given to three small members of the Pike family. Like all Pikes, Pickerels have large mouths and greedy appetites. They fight stubbornly when caught on a hook. They eat mostly smaller fish, frogs, and worms.

Pickerels are a bony freshwater fish but great to eat.

Also Grass, Red and Chain Pickerels

Largemouth Bass

BASS - Red Eye, Spotted, Black ,Large Mouth & Small Mouth BASS – Fun to Catch & Great to Eat

Black Bass: They are members of the sunfish family. It's a freshwater fish. There are six species of Black Bass: Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye, Guadalupe, and Suwannee. They all have long yellowish-greenish bodies.

Largemouth Bass live in lakes, ponds, and rivers of the U.S. and Canada. It's a favorite fish of fisherman. They are very strong and make a good meal. They're famous for their fighting ability. Adults usually weigh from 1-4 pounds, but they can grow to 20 lbs. and two feet long.

Smallmouth Bass are especially strong for their size. They only weigh 1/2 to 4 pounds. They live in streams and large lakes of the United States and parts of Canada, Europe, and South America.

Spotted Bass are also known as Kentucky Bass live in southern regions of the United States. They are found in deep clear reservoirs. They're usually smaller than small mouths.

Spawn on sandy beds, steady diet of insects, frogs, worms, Eels and smaller fish

Common TraitsMost fish are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals

that live underwater. “Ectothermic” means they tend to assume the temperature of their surroundings, instead of generating their own body heat

Ears are internal2 Chambered HeartGills, Side –to Side, Forked Tail, No eye lidsThey do sleep But fishes do have a period of reduced

activity and metabolism which seems to perform the same restorative functions as nocturnal sleep does in humans.

Most in North America are egg layers, some tropical's are live bearers such as guppies, sword tails, mollies and sharks

Bones, Cartilage, Fins, Gills, Fish Facts:Most fishes have a bony backbone

and skeleton. They are grouped together under the scientific class Osteichthyes. A few fish, like skates, sharks and rays, have a skeleton of rubbery, gristly tissue called cartilage. Instead of legs, fish have fins to help them get around in their liquid habitat. They breathe by taking up oxygen that is dissolved in the water through their gills. The gills also allow the release of waste gases, like carbon dioxide and ammonia. Osteichthyes; (Greek, Osteon = bone, ichthyes = fish).

Dependencies & Variables+ Positive Oxygen Flow, inlets, streams, springs,+ Positive Environment – Clean Waters, Food Supply,+ Positive Plant Life – pollution, chemicals,

PA FISH, BOAT & GAME COMMISSION – Enforce Laws, licenses Produce funding, Promote Awareness.Education : Parents & Teachers Like - Mrs. O’Leary and Mrs.

BarkerPrograms - ENVIROTHON, Conservation, Preserves, Parks,

Watersheds, Hatcheries.

We are thankful for students like you that have taken an interest to learn more about our Environment, You can have an impact, You can make a difference and insure that our next generation has the opportunity to experience the pleasures of nature.