Ch 8 Homework Part 1

Vertebrates: Introduction and Types of Fishes: pp.151-153

1. Which organisms were the first vertebrates and from what did they (probably) evolve?
ANS: Fish were the first vertebrates, they probably evolved from lancelets or chordate larvae.

2. In what phylum are vertebrates?

ANS: Chordata

3. What are the four fundamental characteristics of vertebrates?

ANS: Backbone, Nerve cord with a brain, endoskeleton, bilateral symmetry.

4. Fish are traditionally classified into which three major groups?

ANS: Jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes.

5. What are the characteristics of the Agnatha?

ANS: Feed by suction, have elongated cylindrical bodies, no fins or scales, most primitive.

6. Describe and compare hagfish and lampreys

ANS: Hagfish have no eyes, feed on dead or dying prey, and can pour slime out of mucus sacs as a defense mechanism. They
also are adapted to life in the deep and have acute senses of touch and smell. Lampreys live mainly in freshwater, but as adults
they make their way to the sea. They attach to fish like leeches and suck their blood.

7. Be able to locate the groups of fish on the cladogram and major groups picture in Figure 8.1
ANS: will do

8. Essential vocabulary: vertebrate, nerve cord, notochord, post-anal tail

ANS: got it

Cartilaginous fish: pp.153-158

9. The Chondrichthyes are characterized by skeletons made of ...

ANS: cartilage

10. Their rough skin is covered by...

ANS: Placoid scales

11. Draw a placoid scale. (See figure 8.8) (Insert->Drawing->New)

ANS
12. Cartilaginous fish have movable...
ANS: Jaws

13. The gills in sharks are located…

ANS: Just anterior of the pectoral fins and posterior of the head and below the lateral line.

14. Describe and be able to locate the caudal fin of a shark. What makes it heterocercal?
ANS: Caudal fin is at the end of a shark’s tail. It is heterocercal because the upper lobe is larger than the lower one.

15. Describe the dorsal and pectoral fins of a shark.

ANS: There are two dorsal fins that are in line with the shark’s body on the dorsal side. The anterior fin is larger than the
posterior one. There are two pectoral fins on a shark that are directly across from each other on the ventral side of the shark.

16. Most sharks are carnivorous. The whale shark, isn't it? and what does it feed on?
ANS: The whale shark feeds on plankton

17. Rays and skates are part of which group of fish?

ANS: Rays and skates are cartilaginous fishes.

18. Describe the body shape and pectoral fins of a ray or skate. How do skates differ from rays?
ANS: Rays and skates have dorsoventrally flattened bodies. Their pectoral fins are greatly expanded so that they almost look
like wings. Skates lay eggs as opposed to giving live birth and have shorter, more muscular tails.

19. What is a demersal fish?

ANS: Demersal fish are fish that live on the ocean floor

20. How do stingrays injure their prey?

ANS: Stingrays defend themselves with their whip-like tails that have poisonous spines, and they crush their prey with their
plate-like teeth.

21. How do ratfish, or chimeras, differ from the other cartilaginous fish?
ANS: Ratfishes have only one gill slit on each side, and they sometimes have long rat looking tails.