Animal Classification: Fish

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

• Did you say the picture shows a fish?

Great! The fish is called a clown fish.

In this lesson, you will learn all about fish. Fish have a lot in common with reptiles and amphibians. Read on to learn about the special characteristics of fish!

Fish have gills. Their gills help them breathe underwater. Fish don't have lungs like mammals, reptiles, and some amphibians.

Without gills, fish could not survive underwater. Fish gills are found on the sides of their head.

• Do you see the curving lines behind the goldfish's eyes below (blue arrow)?

Those are its gills!

Look at the skin on the fish below.

• What do you notice about its skin?
• Is there another type of animal that has similar skin?

If you said fish are similar to reptiles because they have scales, you are correct! Fish and reptiles have hard scales that protect their bodies.

Fish also have fins. They use their fins to help them swim in the water.

Fish are cold-blooded just like reptiles and amphibians. This means fish have special qualities that allow them to survive in different water temperatures.

• Have you ever seen a koi pond and wondered how the fish survive when the water freezes?

Fish can survive in the water found beneath the layer of ice at the top of the water.

Just like reptiles and amphibians, fish lay eggs.

They lay lots of eggs in the water. Some fish can lay up to 10,000 eggs! They lay so many eggs because most eggs won't survive long enough to become full-grown fish.

Fish are vertebrates just like mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. This means they have a spine.

• Can you find the backbone in the fish below?

• What are two things fish have in common with reptiles and amphibians?

Move to the Got It? section to learn more about fish.