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Day 1 - 2 |
Day 3 |
Day 4 |
Lab |
Reading Assignment
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Animal Identification Assignment.
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How do all lampreys obtain food for most of their life? |
Fresh waters account for less than 1% of the total water on earth, yet nearly 40% of all living fish are found in fresh water. One reason for this is the diversity of the types of fresh water. Rivers and streams provide very different types of habitats at different elevations. They differ in flow rate, botom type, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen content, and other chemical factors. Even lakes are quite different, ranging from deep, cold lakes to shallow, sun-warmed lakes.
Class characteristics:
Texas has two representatives in the Family Petromyzontidae:
Lamprey life cycle:
Both Texas lampreys need flowing water with a rocky bottom to build a nest, lay their eggs, and spawn. This limits their range to rivers and streams with this characteristic.
Bony fish review
Class characteristics:
The white bass is the only true "bass" native to Texas. The saltwater striped bass, Morone saxatilis, has been introduced into the Red River for sport fishing. The mineral content of this river system is such that the striped bass can tolerate them. The white bass, sometimes called the "sand bass", is very prolific in the state and the catch limit, when there is one, is generous.
Texas biologists have developed a striper/white bass "hybrid" that is known to have reached over 15 pounds. These fish are raised in state hatcheries and released in Texas waters. There is no catch limit in most state lakes. Hybrids can be identified by the two rough patches of "teeth" on their tongue.
Fish identification:
When using a dichotomous key to identify fish, an understanding of the basic body parts is important. There are a number of measurements on the body
Teeth can clearly be seen on the mandibles and maxillae of this fish. Its species is unknown, but it is obviously a large fish that is not native to Texas.
Research Links:
A majority of the lifespan of a lamprey is spent in the filter-feeding larval stage.
The head length of a fish is measured from the tip of the snout to the back of the operculum.
Slinder, eel-shaped body.
7 external gill openings.
The notochord persists in the adult.
The skeleton is composed of cartilage.
There are no paired fins.
The adult digestive system has no stomach.
In-class Assignment 112:
This assignment must be turned in by the end of class tomorrow to receive credit.
to write an essay about lamprey invasion.
The skeleton is composed of both cartilage and bone.
Most of the fins on the body are paired.
Most freshwater fish are covered with scales.
On the other hand, the catch limit for the striped bass is very small. For this reason, anglers in the state must be aware of how to tell the difference between these fish. The striped bass grows much larger, close to 50 pounds in Texas. The larger striped bass have a "torpedo-shaped" body, while the white bass body is shaped more like a "panfish". However, when these fish are the same size, they look quite similar. Two ways to tell the difference between these fish are as follows:
and head 
that are important.
In-Class Assignment 113:
This assignment must be turned in by the end of class tomorrow to receive credit.
Scoring criteria
to identify the ten fish shown. List the names of each fish, a through j.
What other fish should be added?
How is the head length of a fish measured?
The skulls of fish are much different than most other vertebrates. There is no large "skull". The skull is composed of many small bones that are not fused together.
In-class Assignment 114:
This assignment must be turned in by the end of class today to receive credit.
Scoring criteria
