fish! basic characteristics 5 th grade. fish: a vertebrate that lives its entire life in water all...
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Fish: a vertebrate that lives its entire life in water
All fish have several similar characteristics:
Fish are cold-blooded vertebrates that live in fresh or salt water (ectotherms)
Fish have backbones Fish have gills that take oxygen
out of the water and get rid of carbon dioxide
Fish: a vertebrate that lives its entire life in water
Most but NOT all fish also:
Have scales
Use fins to move
Did you know?
Nearly half of all vertebrate species are fishes
Fishes have lived on Earth longer than any other kind of vertebrate!
Yes: Fishes need Oxygen!
All fishes get their oxygen from water!
As a fish swims, it opens its mouth, takes a gulp of water (which has oxygen in it)
When the fish opens its mouth to take a gulp of water, it absorbs the oxygen through blood vessels and pushes out the water and carbon dioxide through its gills
How do gills work?
The fish opens its mouth to allow water in
The gills have tiny blood vessels that can absorb oxygen and filter out everything else!
Gills:
Look like tiny feathers
Have blood vessels in them
As water flows over the gills, oxygen moves from the water into a fish’s blood
Carbon Dioxide!
Carbon Dioxide is a fish’s waste product that flows out of the fish through slits beneath the gills
Fins:
Each fin has a thin membrane stretched across bony supports
A fin provides a large surface to push against the water this helps the fish move more quickly through the water
Similar to a scuba-diving flipper
Each fin has a thin membrane that stretches across bony supports. Like a canoe paddle, a fin provides a large surface to push against the water.
Reproduction:
Most fishes have external fertilization (the eggs are fertilized outside of the body)
Some fishes (like sharks and guppies) have internal fertilization, which means that the eggs are fertilized inside the female’s body. The young develop inside the mother’s body until they are mature enough to live on their own
Nervous System: most fishes can see in the water much better than humans, and have a very good sense of smell, touch, and taste