Bony Fish

Hey it is me, Willard and I am going to talk about, how bony  fish float, the role of each fin, what a lateral line is, how fish breathe, what does cold blooded mean, what do most fish like to eat, and cool facts about three bony fish called theViperfish, the Electric Eel, and the Atlantic Salmon. So lets get started with how bony fish float.


There are more than 24,000 species of bony fish. Some may weigh more than two tons and others may weigh a fraction of an once. Bony fish live in every imaginable water habitat, from ocean surfaces to the dark ocean floor and from lakes to rivers.
These fish have bony skeletons and their bodies are covered with scales.  They have gills which allow them to breath in water and an internal float which allows them to float.  Your may be wondering what are gills. Well, gills are organs which allow a fish to breathe the oxygen that is in the water.  It is that same way that lungs allow humans to breathe in oxygen from the air.  Take a look at the gills.




Their shapes of bonny fish depend on where they live.  Bony fish are cold blooded animals.  Cold blooded means that their body temperature changes according to the surrounding temperature.  If they are in freezing water their bodies become cold and if they are in warm waters their bodies become warm.  Bony fish usually lay eggs that are fertilized in the water and they typically leave they young to take care of themselves.  I guess that they are not the best parents to have. 


                                               How Bony Fish Float

Bony fish float because they have some thing in their bodies called a swim bladder. Swim Bladders expand and deflate to allow them to float.  It is sort of like having a balloon inside of you.  When the balloon is filled with air you float and when the air is let out of the balloon you sink.  This is what the swim bladder looks like.





You wonder why does a fish float to the top of the water when it dies, that is because its swim bladder is      deflated and it can not control it anymore.

  What do Bony Fish Eat

Bony fish eat different types of food.  Some bony fish are herbivores, omnivores carnivores.  They can eat all sizes of plants and animals from microscopic plant plankton to the largest marine animals.  Some of the common foods are worms, snails, mussels, clams, squid, crustaceans, insects, insects, birds, amphibians, small mammals and other fish.






Now it is time to introduce you to my three bony fish. I have nicknamed them the Good, the Bad and the Ugly just like that old Western movie my parents watch.


Let's start with the Good. You may have heard of the Atlantic Salmon because you most likely may have had it as a meal.  Salmon is one of may favorite fish to eat especially when it is grilled.  That is why I called it the Good.  The Atlantic Salmon is a large and very powerful fish.  It life begins in the river where it eats insects larvae and worms.  When it has grown about six inches it moves from the river to the sea.  The Adult salmon will roam the Atlantic ocean for up to two years before it returns to fresh water to lay is eggs.  Once the female laid her eggs she returns to the ocean , leaving her young to grow up on their own.  This is picture of the Salmon.  Tell me which you like better.











The bad is the Electric Eel.  Electric eels have snakelike bodies and they look very different from other fish and they are not not even true eels at all.  The Electric Eel is a South American river fish that can produce strong electric currents which are powerful enough to kill a human.  When it is hunting it will stun other fish with a shock up to 550 volts.  Once a fish has been stunned the eel turns off its current and swallows its prey.   The electric Eel uses special muscles as batteries.  These batteries extend all the way down its body.  Imagine carry your own power with you where ever you go and that is why the Electric Eel is know as the Bad.  This is a picture of the Electric Eel.


 Now on to the Ugly.  You will never see this fish in a fashion show or on the cover of a beauty magazine.  The Viperfish is not a model and when you see it you will know why I named him the Ugly.  The Viperfish got its name from its long fangs that stick out from its jaws even when its mouth is closed.  Not even braces can help this fish.  Its body is black and one of its fins has a long spine with a lighted tip which it uses to lure other animal to its mouth.  This fish looks scary.  Get your cameras out!  Here comes the Viperfish.




I hope that you have enjoyed my latest post.  Come back to visit soon.