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Bony Fish

Published on Nov 20, 2015

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

BONY FISH

Bony fish (Osteichthyes) are distinguished from other fish species that have a cartilaginous skeleton (Chondrichthyes—sharks, rays and chimaeras, for example) by the presence of true bone—a mixture of calcium phosphates and carbonates—in their skeletons. Other differences between the two groups are modifications in the structure and arrangement of the scales and fins and the presence of more specialized teeth in bony fish.

Photo by nattu

Bony fish are fish that have a skeleton made up of bone and cartilage, in contrast to the cartilaginous fish, which have no bones. There are over 29,000 species of bony fish that grouped together into a taxonomic Superclass called Osteichthyes, making them the largest taxa of vertebrates in existence today. Some other characteristics of bony fish include the ability to swim forward and backwards.

Photo by harold.lloyd

They also have a gas-filled swim bladder used for buoyancy as well as a sound receptor, and gills with covered gill slits. In reproduction the eggs are usually fertilized externally and the sexes are separate. In addition, they have smooth and overlapping scales, a jawed mouth terminal that has teeth in most cases, and a two-chambered heart.