Vertebrate Zoology Practical 1 - Body types / locomotion / hunting styles / scale types

Piscivorous teeth

Long, slender, and curved teeth

Durophagy-style teeth

Short, thick, and rounded meant for crushing hard-shelled prey

Small, delicate teeth

Meant for eating small or soft prey

Triangular, serrated teeth

Meant for eating and tearing flesh of larger vertebrate prey

Ganoid scales

Two layers of bone and covered by enamel

Large and thick

Found in primitive ray-finned fishes such as bichirs and gars

Cycloid scales

Synapomorphy of the teleosts

Growth rings

Ctenoid scales

A specialized, derived form of cycloid scales

Fringe projections along the posterior margin

Fusiform

Torpedo shaped bodies (tapered at both ends)

Typical fish shape

Oval cross section

Associated with active swimmers

Anguilliform

Elongate and flexible bodies

Eel or snake-like

Dorsal fin extends along most of body

Adapted for hiding in crevices and small spaces

Elongated

Long but fairly rigid bodies to provide rapid acceleration

Slender jaws to snap at prey quickly

Seen in gars and sturgeons

Flattened

Dorso-ventrally flattened bodies

Associated with benthic lifestyle

Rays, flatfishes, and hillstream loaches are associated

Deep-bodied

Laterally compressed bodies

Thin from head-on and disk like from above

Allows for sharp turns and quick bursts of speed

Pelvic fins are positioned forward and pectoral fins are high on the body

Dorsal and anal fins are long

Globular and boxy bodies

Slow-swimming fishes

Very large and box like bodies

Carangiform swimming

Flexion restricted to posterior half of body and tail

Thunniform swimming

High-speed version of carangiform swimming

flexing is restricted to the narrow caudal peduncle and crescent-shaped caudal fin

Ostraciform swimming

Body is inflexible and motion is restricted to the caudal fin

Labriform swimming

Oscillatory swimming using the paired fins, especially pectoral

Rajiform swimming

Wave-like swimming by undulating the whole length of the fin

seen in rays and flatfish

Amiiform swimming

Undulations of the elongated dorsal fin

Gymnotiform

Undulations of the elongated an4l fin

Anguilliform swimming

Most of the body flexes to move

Highly maneuverable

Elongated body with reduced pectoral and pelvic fins

Walking locomotion

Use of large, specially jointed pectoral fins to walk across the bottom rather than swim

Rover predator

Fusiform, streamlined bodies with evenly distributed fins

“terminal” mouth located at forward most point of the head

Ambush predator

Lie-in-wait for prey to approach

Use burst forward

Elongated, but straight streamlined bodies

Large mouths and obvious teeth

Seen in gars, barracudas

Surface-feeding

Mouth faces upward and their upper surface, especially the head, is flattened in profile

Bottom-feeding

Downward facing mouths towards the underside of the head

Ventral surface is flat in profile and often somewhat flattened in shape

Sensory barbels around their mouth

Benthic sit-and-wait predator

Stocky, cryptic fish

Large fins to adhere to the bottom

Large mouths to suck in passing fish

May look like rocks

Semiaquatic jumpers

Streamlined bodies with long hind legs

Live at edge of water to rapidly leap to safety

Bullfrogs are an example

Terrestrial hoppers

Shorter legs of more equal length

Short hops

Warty skin

Seen in toads

Terrestrial walkers

Slender, ground-dwelling frogs

Moderately long legs of equal length

seen in poison dart frogs

Burrowers

Specialized for extensive burrowing

Compact bodies

Can have spades on hind feet or pointed snout

Seen in spadefoots

Sit-and-wait predators

Compact body with large head

Seen in pacman frog/horned frog

Climbers

Slender bodies

long limbs

expanded toe pads

Seen in tree frogs

Parachuting

Elongated, webbed toes

Aquatic swimmers

Flattened, streamlined bodies

Long hind legs with webbed feet for swimming

Hiding defense

Used by fish that hide in sand

Typically flattened

Cryptic coloration and shape defense

Use of irregular shapes and colors to break up outline

Can blend into bottom of habitat (like sand or rocks) or blend into open sea (silver)

Disruptive coloration defense

Contrasting stripes and bars to break up outline

Physical Protection

Bony dermal armor, spines, hard-to-swallow shapes