FISH DRAMA

They are primarily aquatic vertebrate animals, usually ectothermic (they

regulate their temperature from the environment) and with gill respiration.
They are usually covered by scales, and are equipped with fins, which allow
their continuous movement in aquatic environments, and gills, with which
they capture the oxygen dissolved in the water. The Pisces group is not a
taxon because it would be paraphyletic. Fish are abundant in both saltwater
and freshwater, with species being found from mountain streams (e.g. goby)
as well as deep in the ocean (e.g. swallowing eels).
CLASSIFICATION OF FISH
There are about 28,000 species of fish in the world and they
are classified into five different classes. These classes are
cartilaginous, actinopterygians and sarcopterygians
CARTILAGINOUS PARTS
Cartilaginous fish include sharks, manta rays and chimaeras.
In addition to an endoskeleton made of cartilage, these fish
possess a complete backbone. They also possess a relatively
large brain. They can solve problems and interact with other
members of their species. They are generally predators with
keen senses. Cartilaginous fish do not possess a swim
bladder, they stay afloat by using a pair of muscular fins to
propel themselves upwards.
One of the most important features of cartilaginous fish is
their jaw. The jaws allow them to bite food and divide it into
smaller pieces..
ACTINOPTERIGIOS
Actinopterygians include most species of fish such as goldfish,
tuna, salmon, perch and garrarufa. They have a bony
endoskeleton and a swim bladder. Their thin fins consist of a
membrane of skin covering flexible bony spines. The fins
have no muscles, therefore, movement is controlled by the
muscles of the body wall. You can compare their fins to those
of sarcopterygians.

SARCOPTERIGIOS
Sarcopterygians are much fewer in number compared to
actinopterygians. Their fins, like the ones shown in the image above,
are formed from a stump-like appendage of bone and muscle. There
are two types of sarcopterygians that can still be found: coelacanths
and lungfish.
Coelacanths are primitive fish with only two living species. They are
in danger of extinction due to their low number of species.
Lungfish possess a lung-like organ for breathing air. The organ is an
adaptation of the swim bladder. It allows them to survive long periods
out of the water.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FISH
All aquatic vertebrates are usually called
fish, although this classification is
erroneous, since other aquatic
vertebrates such as whales are mammals.
But the curious thing is that both fish
and terrestrial vertebrates share the same
ancestor. 
AQUATIC VERTEBRATES: make up the most diverse vertebrate taxon today. Their adaptations
for aquatic life have allowed them to colonize all kinds of aquatic environments.
BONE SKELETON: they have a bone skeleton with very few cartilaginous areas, this is their
biggest difference with chondrichthyan fish.
ECTOTHERMS: that is, they depend on the environmental temperature for the regulation of
their body temperature, unlike endotherms.
GILL RESPIRATION: they have a respiratory system where the main organs of respiration are
the gills, and are covered by a structure called operculum, which also serves to delimit the head
and the rest of the body. Some species breathe through lungs that derived from the swim
bladder, which also serves to float.

TERMINAL MOUTH: they have a terminal mouth (not ventral as in the case of
chondrichthyans) and their skull is composed of various articulated dermal bones. In turn,
these bones are what support the teeth, which have no replacement once they break or fall.
PECTORAL AND PELVIC FINS: they have anterior pectoral fins and smaller posterior
pelvic fins, both pairs. They also possess one or two dorsal fins and a ventral anal fin.
ODD HOMOCERCA CAUDAL FIN: that is, the upper and lower lobes are equal.
DERMAL SCALES: they have a skin that is usually covered by dermal scales, with the
presence of dentin, enamel and layers of bones, which vary according to their shape and can
be cosmoid, ganoid and elasmoid scales, which in turn is divided into cycloid and ctenoid,
which are divided by their edges

CHARACTERISTICS OF FISH
HOW DO FISH SWIM?
Fish are able to move in a very dense environment such as water. This is mainly due to its
hydrodynamic shape, which together with its powerful musculature in the trunk and tail area, propels
its body forward by a lateral movement, often using the fins as a rudder for balance.
HOW DO FISH FLOAT?
Fish face the difficulty of staying afloat, as their bodies are denser than water. Some fish, such as
sharks (which are chondrichthyan fish, that is, they are cartilaginous fish) do not have a swim bladder,
so they need some systems to stay at a certain height in the water column, such as staying in
continuous movement.
 
FISH REPRODUCTION
Reproduction of fish is whether fertilization
takes place inside or outside the body of the
female.

OVIPAROUS FISH
Most fish are oviparous and, as such, have
external fertilization. The female lays the eggs
and these are fertilized by the male dispersing
his sperm in the water. The eggs can be laid on
the sea floor, stick to rocks or float in the
ocean.
VIVIPAROUS FISH
There are also viviparous fish that have an
internal fertilization very similar to that of
mammals. Males fertilize the female
inside. Once the fry are formed, the
female gives birth to live young.

OVOVIVIPAROUS FISH
Ovoviviparous fish are a curious mixture of oviparous and
viviparous animals. It is also an internal fertilization. After
copulation, the female lays eggs that remain inside her
organism. Instead of expelling them, the young mature inside
the mothers and once the eggs hatch, they come outside.
HERMAPHRODITE FISH

Many species of fish are

hermaphrodites, that is, they
have both male and female
reproductive organs, and can
reach sexual maturity as
females and then become males
or vice versa, or even change
sex several times a day.
REPRODUCTION IN FISH MIGRATION

Fish reproduction is that many species

migrate to reproduce. One of the most
surprising cases is that of salmon,
which are born in fresh waters, spend
most of their lives in the sea and
eventually go up the rivers to spawn.
These fish are called anadromous
SENSE ORGANS
VIEW
The eyes of fish lack eyelids and lacrimal glands. The spherical lenses protrude and
being located on both sides of the head, allows the fish to expand its field of vision..
TACT
It is quite complex since the fish are immersed in a liquid medium and a slow vibration
can be perceived from afar unlike the aerial medium. There are tactile papillae distributed
throughout the body, very abundant in the beards or barbels and in the lateral line

SMELL
As the particles are dissolved in water, it is not possible to specify whether it is a sense of
taste or smell, but it is taken as a sense of smell. It is a distance sense that allows you to
detect prey, enemies, presence of a watercourse, etc. Fish have two nostrils which are
separated by a bridge on each side of the head, an entrance and an exit hole
TASTE
It lies in the so-called taste buds that are cells sensitive to certain chemicals related to food,
which are distributed inside the mouth, pharynx, esophagus and oral epithelium.
HEARING AND BALANCE
The ear is both the organ of balance. There is no outer or middle ear, only internal.