
Do bony fish have spines or rays?
In bony fish, most fins may have spines or rays. A fin may contain only spiny rays, only soft rays, or a combination of both. If both are present, the spiny rays are always anterior. Spines are generally stiff, sharp and unsegmented. Rays are generally soft, flexible, segmented, and may be branched.
What is the nervous system of a bony fish?
The nervous system of bony fishes contains homologous (or similar) structures to that of humans. Their skull contains a brain, which connects at the base of the skull to a spinal cord. Nerves run throughout the body and communicate with a number of structures.
Where is the spinal cord in a fish?
The spinal cord is housed within its backbone. Fish are vertebrates. All vertebrates are built along the basic chordate body plan: a stiff rod running through the length of the animal (vertebral column or notochord), with a hollow tube of nervous tissue (the spinal cord) above it and the gastrointestinal tract below.
What are the vertebrae of lobe finned fish made of?
The vertebrae of lobe-finned fishes consist of three discrete bony elements. The vertebral arch surrounds the spinal cord, and is broadly similar in form to that found in most other vertebrates. Just beneath the arch lies the small plate-like pleurocentrum, which protects the upper surface of the notochord.
What is the skeleton of a bony fish made of?
What are the muscles of the tail and trunk?
Which part of the brain processes vision, learning, and motor responses?
Which organ has thick muscular walls?
Do fish have a nervous system?

Does fishes have spinal cord?
A fish's spinal cord transmits motor messages to its peripheral nerves, and sends sensory messages back to the brain. As we will see, the various nerves of the peripheral nervous system branch throughout the body.
Do bony fish have a backbone?
Skeletal System The vertebral column, cranium, jaw, ribs, and intramuscular bones make up a bony fish's skeleton.
Where is the spinal cord in a fish?
The spinal cord extends backward the length of the fish, from the medulla oblongata, inside the neural canal of the vertebral column. In highly evolved teleosts it ends in an endocrine gland, the urophysis.
Does a fish have a spinal column?
The vertebral column of fish is differentiated in two regions: the trunk vertebrae, which cover the portion of the body between the skull and the tail, and the caudal spine [50].
What fish does not have a spine?
Lancelets, lampreys and hagfish Lancelets are small, transparent animals that live in the sand. They do not have a backbone, but they are supported by a jelly-like rod. Lampreys look like eels. They bite their prey with their circular mouths, rasping away the flesh and sucking the blood and tissue.
What are 3 characteristics of bony fish?
Class - Osteichthyes Bony fishes share several distinguishing features: a skeleton of bone, scales, paired fins, one pair of gill openings, jaws, and paired nostrils.
Can fishes feel pain?
“Fish do feel pain. It's likely different from what humans feel, but it is still a kind of pain.” At the anatomical level, fish have neurons known as nociceptors, which detect potential harm, such as high temperatures, intense pressure, and caustic chemicals.
Do fish have balls?
Most male fish have two testes of similar size. In the case of sharks, the testes on the right side is usually larger. The primitive jawless fish have only a single testis, located in the midline of the body, although even this forms from the fusion of paired structures in the embryo.
Do fish feel pain the same way as humans?
Summary: Fish do not feel pain the way humans do, according to a team of neurobiologists, behavioral ecologists and fishery scientists. The researchers conclude that fish do not have the neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain. Fish do not feel pain the way humans do.
What are fish bones called?
There are several series of fish bones: Epineuralia, Epicentralia, Epipleuralia and Myorhabdoi. Fish bones support the core muscles without inhibiting their motility. In cuisine, fish bones are usually removed and not eaten.
What are fish bones made of?
Fish bone has a high calcium (Ca) content, and Ca and phosphorus (P) comprise about 2% (20 g/kg dry weight) of the whole fish. The chemical composition of fish bones varies, and in general, oily fish (e.g. salmon) have higher lipid levels, and lower protein and ash levels compared to lean species (e.g. cod) [4].
What structures help bony fishes swim?
You might be surprised to hear most bony fishes have a special organ to help them with that: a swim bladder. This is a thin-walled sac located inside the body of a fish that is usually filled with gas.
What fish is not a vertebrate?
Hence, hagfish are fish but they are not vertebrates. Since their brain is much more developed than that of more primitive chordates, the term "craniate" is often used to designate the group composed of hagfish and true vertebrates.
Do sharks have a backbone?
The simple answer to the question do sharks have vertebrae is yes. Sharks are classed as vertebrates because they have a spinal column just like a human, but there's nothing in the definition that says it must be made of bone. The primary role of the vertebrae is to protect the spinal cord.
Are all fish vertebrates?
Siamese fighting fishGoldfishBlobfishGuppySnakehead murrelGiant oarfishFish/Representative species
What is the spine of a fish called?
Fish are vertebrates. All vertebrates are built along the basic chordate body plan: a stiff rod running through the length of the animal (vertebral column or notochord), with a hollow tube of nervous tissue (the spinal cord) above it and the gastrointestinal tract below.
What are the parts in the brain of fish?
The fish brain is generally divided into four different components. These are the telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, and the hind brain.
What is the nervous system of a fish?
The nervous system of a fish is similar to that of other vertebrates. They contain a central nervous system containing a brain and spinal cord and...
Where is the brain located in a fish?
The brain in fishes is located within the skull. Like humans, it connects to the rest of the spinal cord at the base of the skull.
Do fish feel pain the same way as humans?
Fish contain pain receptors called nociceptors like humans do. This means that fish are capable of feeling stimuli related to pain.
What is the function of the brain in a fish?
The brain of fish functions similarly to the brain of other animals. It interprets signals collected from sensory nerves and formulates responses....
How do fish nervous systems work?
Like the nervous systems of other organisms, fish detect stimuli with sensory nerves that bring signals to the central nervous system. Responses ar...
What is the central nervous system in bony fish?
Let's delve into the structure and function of the central nervous system in bony fish - the brain and spinal cord - as well as the peripheral nervous system - branching nerves that extend throughout the body.
What is a bony fish?
Osteichthyes (oss-tee-ICK-thees), or bony fish, are a major group of fish that possess a bony skeleton. The Greek root 'ostei-' means 'bone'. Many modern fish fall within this group, though they are distantly related to their cousins the cartilaginous fish, or Chondrichthyes (con-DRICK-thees), which include sharks, skates, and rays. ...
What are the olfactory lobes of fish?
At the rostral, or nose, end of the fish lie olfactory lobes, which provide the sense of smell. Some species of bony fish have exceptionally large olfactory lobes, particularly catfish and other predators that hunt by smell. Behind the olfactory lobes sits the telencephalon, which is equivalent to the cerebrum in most other vertebrates.
How many eyes do fish have?
All fish embryologically develop two eyes, although some groups of fish are functionally blind, whereas others have keen eyesight for spotting prey and avoiding predators.
How small are fish brains?
Most fish brains are very small compared to overall body size, about 1/15th the mass of a similarly-sized mammal or bird.
Which structure is associated with the pineal body?
The forebrain connects to the midbrain by the diencephalon, a hormone-balancing structure. The diencephalon is associated with the pineal body, which detects light and dark and coordinates color changes.
Which lobes are well developed in osteichthyes?
The midbrain ( mesencephalon) itself is comprised of two optic lobes, which are especially well-developed in osteichthyes that hunt by sight.
Why do fish need spines?
Fish need their spines to be in excellent working order because they have many nerves that send information to the brain and other parts of the body, acting as a messaging pathway between the brain and body.
Why do fish have bony structures?
The spinal cord runs through the spine, so the bony structure protects it. Without healthy, efficient backbones, fish wouldn’t move properly and would struggle to survive.
Why Do Fish Have Backbones?
The spine is one of the most essential features of a fish’s body, as it supports all other bones, body parts, vital organs, and muscles. As a result, the vertebral column is the body’s main structure. As described by Science Direct, the vertebral column:
What Fish Don’t Have Backbones?
You might be wondering, do all fish have backbones? While most do, there are a few fish species that lack spines. Fish without backbones include:
What are the vertebrae of a shark?
In comparison, cartilaginous fish (e.g., sharks and stingrays) have vertebrae consisting of two cartilaginous tubes. Vertebral arches form the upper tube, but additional structures comprised of cartilage fill in the vertebrae gaps. The lower tube surrounds the notochord and includes layers of calcification.
What determines the shape of a fish?
The backbone determines the shape of the fish. Like all chordates, the body takes after the spine. Without it, fish wouldn’t have structure, and their organs would be vulnerable to accident and injury.
What is the backbone of a fish?
The backbone is responsible for propping up the area between (and including) the head and trunk. One of these things is the ribs. Fish have two of them, which are attached directly to the upper and lower part of the spine. This means that after the skull, the backbone is the most vital part of the skeletal system.
What are the two types of skeletons that fish have?
Two types of skeletons are available for fish. There are the exoskeleton and the endoskeleton.
What percentage of fish are boney?
Bony fish are the ones with which we are most familiar from lakes, oceans, and other water bodies and comprise 95% of all fish.
What are the other jawless fish?
Other types of jawless fish still in existence are the Snot Eel and Hagfish. Hagfish are close cousins to Lampreys.
What fish are jawless?
Lampreys are one fish living today that can give us a good idea of how jawless fish used to look.
Why are plankton fish considered invertebrate?
They are plankton because they don’t have a heart, bones, or brain. The only two known invertebrate fish are Hagfish and Lampreys, that’s it.
What is angnatha fish?
These “Agnatha” were fish without jaws, which meant they didn’t have a backbone. Even though they still could eat with a mouth, they didn’t have a jaw.
What were the first vertebrates?
The first vertebrates on Earth were fish. They provide the shape and body base for millions of other living life forms over the course of epochs of evolution.
What is the anatomy of a bony fish?
Internal anatomy of a bony fish. Fish anatomy is the study of the form or morphology of fishes. It can be contrasted with fish physiology, which is the study of how the component parts of fish function together in the living fish. In practice, fish anatomy and fish physiology complement each other, the former dealing with the structure of a fish, ...
How do fish anatomy and physiology complement each other?
In practice, fish anatomy and fish physiology complement each other, the former dealing with the structure of a fish, its organs or component parts and how they are put together, such as might be observed on the dissecting table or under the microscope, and the latter dealing with how those components function together in living fish.
What are sharks made of?
Sharks and rays are basal fish with numerous primitive anatomical features similar to those of ancient fish, including skeletons composed of cartilage. Their bodies tend to be dorso-ventrally flattened, and they usually have five pairs of gill slits and a large mouth set on the underside of the head. The dermis is covered with separate dermal placoid scales. They have a cloaca into which the urinary and genital passages open, but not a swim bladder. Cartilaginous fish produce a small number of large yolky eggs. Some species are ovoviviparous, having the young develop internally, but others are oviparous and the larvae develop externally in egg cases.
How many chambers does a fish have?
Fish have what is often described as a two-chambered heart, consisting of one atrium to receive blood and one ventricle to pump it, in contrast to three chambers (two atria, one ventricle) of amphibian and most reptile hearts and four chambers (two atria, two ventricles) of mammal and bird hearts.
How many types of fish scales are there?
There are four principal types of fish scales.
What are the external features of fish?
The main external features of the fish, the fins, are composed of either bony or soft spines called rays which, with the exception of the caudal fins, have no direct connection with the spine. They are supported by the muscles which compose the main part of the trunk.
What are the four compartments of the heart?
The four compartments are arranged sequentially: 1 Sinus venosus: A thin-walled sac or reservoir with some cardiac muscle that collects deoxygenated blood through the incoming hepatic and cardinal veins. 2 Atrium: A thicker-walled, muscular chamber that sends blood to the ventricle. 3 Ventricle: A thick-walled, muscular chamber that pumps the blood to the fourth part, the outflow tract. The shape of the ventricle varies considerably, usually tubular in fish with elongated bodies, pyramidal with a triangular base in others, or sometimes sac-like in some marine fish. 4 Outflow tract (OFT): Goes to the ventral aorta and consists of the tubular conus arteriosus, bulbus arteriosus, or both. The conus arteriosus, typically found in more primitive species of fish, contracts to assist blood flow to the aorta, while the bulbus anteriosus does not.
What is the rod that supports the nerve cord?
the notocord - a strong flexible support rod just below the nerve cord
When did fish live in the ocean?
Fish that lived in earth's oceans about 350 million years ago and cartilaginous and bony fish descended from them
What do squid look like?
flat, wide bodies, and long thin tails with huge pectoral fins that look like wings
What is the skeleton of a bony fish made of?
The skeleton of bony fishes is made of bone and cartilage. The vertebral column, cranium, jaw, ribs, and intramuscular bones make up a bony fish's skeleton.
What are the muscles of the tail and trunk?
The muscles of the tail and trunk consist of a series of muscle blocks called myotomes. The myotomes usually resemble a sideways letter "W". A connective tissue called myosepta separates the myotomes. A horizontal septum separates the myotomes into dorsal (top) myotomes and ventral (bottom) myotomes.
Which part of the brain processes vision, learning, and motor responses?
The midbrain processes vision, learning, and motor responses. Blind bony fishes, such as blind cavefishes in the family Amblyopsidae, have a reduced midbrain.
Which organ has thick muscular walls?
The atrium has thick, muscular walls. The atrium receives oxygen-depleted blood and pumps it into the ventricle.
Do fish have a nervous system?
The nervous system of fishes is poorly developed compared to that of other vertebrates.