Both have fish characteristics and are of the same vertebrate group. Characteristics & Physiology of Bony Fish. They are separated into four groups: cartilaginous fish (such as sharks and rays), bony fish, jawless fish, and hagfish. Flying fish are thought to have evolved this remarkable gliding ability to escape predators, of which they have many. There are over 30000 known species of fish. Elizabeth Roberts/CC-BY 2.0. Common characteristics of fish in the classes Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes Efficient respiratory system, closed circulatory system, sexual reproduction, paired fins, developed sensory systems, presence of scales, presence of a jaw, presence of an endoskelaton. Fish are vertebrate animals that live in the water. Some common distinguishing characteristics of sharks, rays and their kin include the lack of the swim bladder found in many bony fishes; that males fertilize females internally; the possession of five to seven gill arches; and that their skin is composed of toothlike denticles that give the skin an abrasive texture. There are a few things that all fish have in common, though. Gills - Water goes into the fish's mouth and then over their gills (which are made up of rows of gill filaments) before leaving the fish out of the gill slits. (think and search) How do the different body shapes listed below help fish live successfully in their habitats? Oxygen from the water moves into these blood vessels. There are over 30,000 different kinds of fish, all of which have their own colors and sizes. What Are Some Characteristics of Fish? Fish - Fish - Behaviour: Fish behaviour is a complicated and varied subject. Characteristics of fish. FISH. Some of … Many fish have scales and use their fins to swim. Some flatfish use camouflage to hide themselves on the ocean floor. As in almost all animals with a central nervous system, the nature of a response of an individual fish to stimuli from its environment depends upon the inherited characteristics of its nervous system, on what it has learned from past experience, and on the nature of the stimuli. Bony fish not only have a hard, calcified skeleton, but a solid cranium protecting their brains as well. From the amazingly small to the jaw-dropping mammoths, the types of fish in this world are vast. And then think about a small minnow. Think about a Great White Shark. The Classification of Fishes There are about 28,100 species of fishes known to science. Living in water presents a number of problems such as maintaining salt concentrations and neutral buoyancy and this group of animals has evolved a number of ways to deal with these issues. There are many blood vessels in the gills. Fish live in the water and are vertebrate animals, which means that they have a spine. Fish are fascinating creatures. The General Structures and Characteristics of Fish Elementary Ó2003 7 Question Answer Relationship (continued) Identify a fish that is a bottom dweller, one that lives in the open sea and one that lives among coral reefs. Fish have gills that extract oxygen from the water around them. Scientists use these and many other characteristics to correctly classify and identify fish. Vertebrate means they have a spinal cord surrounded by bone or cartilage. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 27, 2020 1:17:25 AM ET. Fish live in the water and breathe by absorbing oxygen through their gills. Fish are cold-blooded animals, so their internal body temperature is influenced by the environment. The classification system of fish is not stagnant and it will change when we have more knowledge, perhaps from DNA analyses. 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