Fish family cards www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Fish family cards www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER
Fish family id card guide for teachers
Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra Chinook salmon Round goby
Burbot Pike
Lake sturgeon Walleye
Smallmouth bass Black bullhead Illustration: E. Damstra Illustration: E. Damstra
Yellow perch Longnose Sucker
Sea lamprey Lake whitefish
Illustrations: E. Damstra Note: Fish size not to scale Generic fish Graphic: characteristics of fish www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER
This graphic is a composite illustration that shows a variety of distinguishing characteristics. Scientists use these and many other characteristics to correctly classify and identify fish.
dorsal fins
adipose fin
snout
caudal (tail) fin
mouth
anal fin barbels pectoral fin pelvic fin Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Salmon and Trout Family, Salmonidae
Illustration: E. Damstra Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha n Native to Pacific Ocean from southern California to Alaska. n Introduced to Great Lakes in 1967. n Habitat: Deep open waters of the Great Lakes. Spawns in tributaries in autumn. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Perch Family, Percidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Yellow perch Perca flavescens n Important food and sport fish throughout southern part of Great Lakes region. n Split dorsal fin. Body has distinct vertical bands. n Habitat: Variety of locations; quiet ponds, streams with little current; large and small lakes including the Great Lakes. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Lamprey Family, Petromyzontidae
Illustration: E. Damstra Sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus n Primitive, parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean. n Eel-like body shape. Round mouth. Mottled coloring. n Habitat: Large population in northern Lake Huron and St. Marys River. Larval stage spent in silty stream bottoms. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Whitefish Subfamily, Coregoninae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis n Most valuable commercially caught fish in Great Lakes. n Long, deep-bodied fish related to salmon and trout. n Habitat: Deep, open waters of the Great Lakes; cold, deep inland lakes. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Sturgeon Family, Acipenseridae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens n Primitive, long-lived fish native to Great Lakes. n Asymmetric, shark-like tail. n Habitat: Nearshore waters at depths of 15 to 30 feet. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Perch Family, Percidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Walleye Sander vitreus n Popular sport fish in the Great Lakes. n Slender body with pointed snout. Split dorsal fin. n Habitat: Moderately fertile lakes with primarily sandy basins. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Sunfish and Bass Family, Centrarchidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu n Popular sport fish in Canadian and U.S. waters. n Narrow, oval-shaped body. Split dorsal fin with short fin spines in front. n Habitat: Clear, gravel-bottom runs in flowing rivers; shallow rocky areas of lakes. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER North American Catfish Family, Ictaluridae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Black bullhead Ameiurus melas n Scaleless, bottom-dwelling fish. n Long barbels (whiskers) around mouth. n Habitat: Deep pools in small to large rivers; lakes. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Goby Family, Gobiidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Round goby Neogobius melanostomus n Invasive, bottom-dwelling fish. n Mottled coloring with frog-like raised eyes. n Habitat: Nearshore areas of the Great Lakes and tributaries. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Pike Family, Esocidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Northern pike Esox lucius n Fast-swimming predator that feeds on other fish and animals. n Long, slender body with duck-billed snout. n Habitat: Cool to moderately warm, weedy lakes, ponds and sluggish rivers. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Sucker Family, Catostomidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Eastern Longnose Sucker Catostomus catostomus n One of 24 bottom-dwelling species in the sucker family. n Ventral mouth used to locate food in bottom sediment. n Habitat: Cold lakes and streams. Fish Species & Habitat Cards - Teacher Master www.greatlakeslessons.com MICHU-07-406 COPY MASTER Freshwater Cod, Gadidae
Illustration: E. Damstra
Burbot Lota lota n Freshwater representative of the marine cod group. n Long dorsal and anal fins; single barbel on chin. n Habitat: Medium to large streams and cold, deep lakes. Distinguishing Characteristics of Fish www.greatlakeslessons.com
MICHU-07-407 COPY MASTER *Lampreys are an exception. Some lampreys are parasites and feed on other fish. *Lampreys are an exception. The size and position of the mouth indicates indicates mouth the of position size and Mouth: The mouth, downward-oriented or A ventral, what a fish eats. along snails and a fish that feeds on insects indicates or upward-directed bottom.* A forward or stream lake the water column. a fish that feeds within the indicates mouth Small, fleshy fin located between the dorsal fin the fin located between fleshy fin: Small, Adipose not does the adipose fin fins, other Unlike fin. caudal and purpose is unclear. Its or spines. have rays fins. pelvic behind Anal fin: Fin located on a fish’s underside used by are mouth the near “whiskers” Barbels: These food. fish to sense bottom-feeding It propulsion. for fin (tail fin) is used caudal Caudal fin: The buoyancy. this affects a fish’s speed and in shape and varies generally are trout, as lake such fins, caudal Fish with forked round as such fins, caudal Fish with rounder swimmers. fast slower. are goby, Large fin on a fish’s back that varies in shape, in shape, fin on a fish’s back that varies fin: Large Dorsal dorsal soft-rayed fish have single, Some position. size and fins that dorsal have split and bass, sunfish like Others, fins. fin stabilizes fish dorsal The part soft. and part spiny are assists with maneuverability. and rolling against or for direction mainly used fins fin: Side Pectoral slow swimming. for sometimes and “steering,” belly or under located on the fins fin: Paired Pelvic fins. pectoral (p2) Superior Adipose fin Adipose Asymmetrical Single dorsal fin Forked, Ventral Anal fin Anal (p1) symmetrical Pectoral fin (p1), Pelvic fin (p2) fin (p1), Pectoral Split dorsal fin Terminal Rounded Distinguishing characteristics combined with information on geographic range, help scientists, scientists, help range, on geographic with information combined characteristics Distinguishing can be that characteristics fish Some fish. identify and observe naturalists amateur and anglers of shape and mouth position fin(s), dorsal of location and structure include easily compared Other (whiskers). as barbels such traits unusual of or absence presence and tail shape, snout, anal fin, and fins pelvic fins, of pectoral location and structure fish include used to identify traits scale counts. and length, standard depth, body Distinguishing Characteristics of Fish of Characteristics Distinguishing Dichotomous key: START: Great Lakes Fish Families Pick a fish card
Unit 3, Lesson 1 One fin How many dorsal fins does the fish have? Use this dichotomous key to organize distinguishing characteristics and identify 10 common fish families. Note: Key is designed for use with Project FLOW Great Lakes Fish Cards. Does the fish YES have an adipose NO fin?
Does the fish Is the tail YES have NO YES NO asymmetrical? barbels?
Family: Does the fish Family: Family: Trout, Salmon LARGE have a large, SMALL Catfish Sturgeon and Whitefish MOUTH elongated mouth MOUTH or small ventral Family: mouth? Family: Are the scales Pike Sucker SMALL LARGE small or large?
Subfamily: Subfamily: Trout Whitefish and Salmon
Page 1 Dichotomous key: Great Lakes fish families dorsal fins This graphic is a composite illustration that shows a variety of distinguishing adipose fin characteristics. Scientists use these and
many other characteristics to correctly snout classify and identify fish. caudal Two fins (tail) fin mouth
anal fin barbels pectoral fin pelvic fin Is one dorsal fin YES spiny and one NO smooth?
Does the fish Are the two fins YES NO YES have a round NO connected? mouth
Is the caudal Family: Family: Family: FORKED (tail) fin rounded ROUNDED Sunfish & Bass Lamprey Freshwater Cod or forked?
Family: Family: Perch Goby
Determine YES the species: NO Does the fish have vertical stripes? Species: Species: Yellow Perch Walleye www.greatlakeslessons.com
MICHU-07-410 COPY MASTER Page 2 Dichotomous key: Great Lakes fish families