Prelab questions
1. List the three vertebrate classes of fish and give
examples of fish in each
class.
Class_______________ Example
______________
Class_______________ Example
______________
Class_______________ Example ______________
2. A goldfish belongs to the Kingdom
______________________
A
goldfish belongs to the Phylum __________________________
A goldfish belongs to the Subphylum ________________________
A goldfish belongs to the
Class __________________________
3. The goldfish is considered to be a
__________-finned fish.
4. List three other fish that would be in the same class as a Goldfish.
Observation of the Fish
1. Observe the movements of the fish
for five minutes. Record the fishes activities in the space below.
Be specific!
2. Look at the fish's belly.
Compare the colors of the ventral (belly) side to the dorsal (top)
side.
Color of the top of fish.
________________
Color of the bottom of
fish. _____________
How
do these colors help the fish? _____________________
3. Observe the fish as it opens and
closes its mouth.
Now look at the
operculum (gill covers).
When
the mouth is open, is the operculum open or closed? ________________
4. The opening and the closing of the mouth tells you how many "breaths" a fish takes. Count how many breaths your fish takes in one minutes. Compare this number to to five other fish in the room and record the data below.
Your Fish _____ Fish 2 _____ Fish 3 ______ Fish 4 ______ Fish 5 _____
5. What is the average breathing rate of the goldfish? (Add all five numbers and divide by 5) Average: ________
6. Examine the eye of the
fish. Is the eye protected by an eyelid? _______
Does your fish blink?_______________
7. Determine if the fish can see your
hand by putting it close (but not touching) the glass. How does your
goldfish respond?
8. Now tap the glass gently and
record how the goldfish responds.
9. What system is responsible for sensing vibrations in the water? _________________ ______________ system
10. Examine other goldfish near your table.
Do they all look the
same? __________________
What are some of the color
variations among the goldfish in the room?
11. Examine the fins. As the fish swims, which fins seem to be moving the most?
12. Which fins don't seem to move at all?
13. Look closely at the dorsal fin of the goldfish. Sketch the fin in detail below. Why is a goldfish called a ray-finned fish?
14. Fill out the chart
below.
| Name of Fin | How many present? | Function |
14. An analogous structure is a part of the body that is similar to a part of the body in a different organism. What would be the analogous structure of these fins on a human?
Pelvic fin ________________________ Pectoral fin _______________