Wildlife and Fishery Science What type of pet can you have that doesn’t make any noise?

Fish Cold blooded animals that depend on their environment for body heat Freshwater and Saltwater environments Crucial anatomy features – Shapes and sizes of body parts vary with species Breathing – Gills – How does this work?!

Breathing Water containing disolved oxygen passes through the GILLS of the fish Oxygen enters the tissue in the gills where it becomes attached to blood cells Waste materials flow across the gill tissue to the surrounding water Breathing

Reproduction Spawn – Reproduce Females deposit roe (eggs) in depressions beneath the water Male fertilizers by discharging milt (sperm) on the surfaces

Fish Anatomy

Freshwater Fish Freshwater – All the waters on this continent that are not high in salt continent – Most springs, streams, rivers, lakes, marshes, canals, and ponds – These sources vary greatly across the continent Temperature, Oxygen Content, pH, rate of flow, dissolved nutrients, and degree of pollution

Catfish 2 Families, 46 Species in North America Largest Family, Ictaluridae or Bullhead – 45 species from Canada to Mexico Clariidae – Walking Catfish

Bullhead Catfish 4 pairs of barbels (feelers or whiskers) – Give the fish a sense of touch to locate food Bony spines located at the bases of their dorsal fins Pectoral fins correspond to front legs in terrestrial animals Adipose fins store fat Pelvic Fins correspond to rear legs Prominent Anal fin Tough Skins and No Scales and Sharp Spines

White Catfish – Medium Brown Bullhead – inches Margined Madtom – 12 Inches Flathead Catfish – lbs Yellow Bullhead – Max in Channel Catfish – 30 Inches, 15 lbs Stonecat – 12 inches

Sunfish Native to North America Family Centrachidae These fish are laterally compressed – Greater measure from their back to their belly than from side to side Become active in direct sunlight This family includes basses, crappies, and bluegills – Several distinctly different fishes belonging to different families are among the basses

Sunfish Mating Males build nests in which the females lay their eggs Nests are a shallow depression in the gravel or sand Males fan the loose material away with his fins Each male defends a small area in the vicinity of the nest, the eggs, and the small fish. Sunfish of different species may mate together producing hybrids – Commonly happens when the water is polluted or dirty – Potentially because they have trouble distinguishing between different species.

Redear Sunfish Blackbanded Sunfish Warmouth Longear Sunfish Redbreast Sunfish Pumpkinseed Smallmouth Bass Largemouth Bass Black Crappie Banded Sunfish Bluespotted Sunfish Mud Sunfish Rock Bass Green Sunfish Bluegill Spotted Bass White Crappie

Perch Family Percidae Second largest family in North America Darters – Bottom dwelling – Major food source for larger fish Popular game fish include the Sauger and Walleye Have the ability to see in the dark – Tapetum Lucidum, special tissue in eye

Greenside Darter Banded Darter Rainbow Darter Bluebreast Darter Johnny Darter Tesselated Darter Gilt Darter Spotted Darter Longhead Darter Eastern Sand Darter Tippecanoe Darter Yellow Perch Logperch Sauger Saugeye Walleye

Trout, Carp, and Whitefish Family Salmonidae – Several species of this family will migrate to the ocean. These species are strictly freshwater. – Large number of species even though they look quite different, divided into different groups or races within the species – Most migrate to their spawning areas – They spawn in clean gravel so that the eggs can be trapped in the rocks and the eggs are well aerated.

Coho Salmon Chinook Salmon Pink Salmon Rainbow Trout Steelhead Golden Rainbow Trout Brown Trout Brook Trout Lake Trout Atlantic Salmon

Pike Esocidae Vigorous predators – Able to eat fish almost as large as they are Long Strong Jaws Cannibalistic Tiger Musky – Hybrid, Musky and Northern Pike – More ferocious hunter

Redfin Pickerel Grass Pickerel Northern Pike Tiger Muskellunge Muskellunge Chain Pickerel

Sturgeons Family Acipenseridae Inhabit large rivers Largest fish in North America – White Sturgeons grow up to 20 feet Stir up mud on river bottoms Live up to 75 years – Slow to mature – Several years in between mating Eggs used for caviar

Shortnose Sturgeon – Endangered Atlantic Sturgeon – Pa’s Largest Fish Lake Sturgeon

Minnows and Suckers Family Cyprinidae Found on every continent 231 species occur north of Mexico Includes carp, goldfish, squawfish, shiners, chubs

Minnows Bluntnose Minnow Cutlips Minnow Central Stoneroller Emerald Shiner Hornyhead Chub Grass Carp Common Carp Common Shiner River Chub Golden Shiner Fathead Minnow Spotfin Shiner Rosyface Shiner Blacknose Dace Longnose Dace Creek Chub Fallfish

Suckers Quillback White Sucker Northern Hog Sucker River Redhorse Shorthead Redhorse