- Fish are vertebrates that live in water. They live in every watery habitat on our planet, from icy polar seas, to tropical puddles, to the deepest ocean. Fish live in lakes and rivers, on coral reefs, in the open ocean, and deep in the sea. They are cold-blooded animals, that is, their body temperature changes with the temperature of the water they are swimming in.
- They have streamlined, muscular bodies of many shapes and colors. Their bodies have bilateral symmetry, meaning the left and right sides are identical. Some fish are shaped and colored to resemble their surroundings, for camouflage. Predators stay away from brightly colored fish, whose patterns and colors warn of poison and horrible-tasting flesh.
- Fish are covered with scales. Each scale resembles a fingernail and is embedded in the skin. Scales overlap like tiles on a roof. They are covered with slimy mucus to protect the fish and allow it to glide throught the water. You can tell a fish's age by counting the growth rings on its scales, just like a tree!!
- Most female fish lay their eggs in the water in a protected spot. Fertilized fish eggs, or roe, hatch into larvae. When larvae begin to swim, the small fish are called fry. Has anyone ever called you a "small fry?"
- Fish have many of the same organs found in mammals, birds, and reptiles: eyes, ears, nostrils, a heart, a digestive system, and a reproductive system. But,instead of lungs, fish have gills.
Fish Shape and Movement
Do Fish Have Lips?
Kinds of Fish
Seahorses
Fish Behavior
How Do Fish Breathe?
The Anatomy of A Fish
Fins and Tails
