Fish I.D. Project

Fish I.D. Project

Khalli Bradley

Table of Contents

1. Bicolor Foxface Rabbitfish

2. Picasso Triggerfish

3. Blue Tang Surgeonfish

4. Mandarin Fish

5. Clown Anemone Fish

6. Atlantic Cod

7. Atlantic Tarpon

8. California Sheephead

9. Yellow Tang

10. Peacock Flounder

11. Blackfin Wolf Herring

12. Bonefish

13. Thresher Shark

14. Copper Rockfish

15. American Shad

16. Skipjack Tuna

17. Bluefin Tuna

18. Whitetip Reef Shark

19. Lingcod

20. Wolf-eel

21. Commerson’s Dolphin

22. Atlantic Blue Marlin

23. Sailfin Tang

24. Grey Whale

25. Tiger Shark

26. Great White Shark

27. Spotted Eagle Ray

28. Leatherback Turtle

29. Bluering Angelfish

30. Bluntnose Sevengil Shark

31. Chain Catshark

32. Albacore

33. Pacific Angel Shark

34. Dogtooth Tuna

35. Porbeagle

36. Bottlenosed Dolphin

Table of Contents Continued

37. Whale Shark

38. Moray Eel

39. Heavised’s Dolphin

40. Californian Anchoveta

41. Long-Finned Pilot Whale

42. Spotted Seahorse

43. Beluga Whale

44. Goblin Shark

45. Loggerhead Sea Turtle

46. Rough-toothed Dolphin

47. Redthroated Rainbowfish

48. Roghtailed Stingray

49. Greenland Shark

50. Zebra Shark

51. Freshwater Drum

52. River Blackfish

53. Longear Sunfish

54. Razorback Sucker

55. Shovelnose Sturgeon

56. Greenside Darter

57. Ganges River Dolphin

58. Fathead Minnow

59. Macquarie Perch

60. Longnose Dace

61. Smallmouth Bass

62. Burbot

63. Brook Trout

64. Channel Catfish

65. Brown Bullhead

66. White Bass

67. North African Catfish

68. Pirate Perch

69. Logperch

70. Largemouth Bass

71. Brook Stickleback

72. American Paddlefish

73. South American Lungfish

Table of Contents Continued

74. Alligator Gar

75. Alligator Snapping Turtle

76. Golden shiner

77. Banded Sculpin

78. Silver Carp

79. Amazon River Dolphin

80. Redear Sunfish

81. Sheatfish

82. Bloater

83. Electric Eel

84. Florida Gar

85. Rianbow Darter

86. Bleeding Heart Tetra

87. Spotted Gar

88. Bowfin

89. Northern Pike

90. Quillback Carosucker

Title: Marine Fish Species #: 1

Common Name: Bicolor Foxface Rabbitfish

Scientific Name: Siganus uspi

Kingdom: Aniamlia Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes

Family: Siganidae

Geography / Habitat: The Bicolor Foxface Rabbitfish lives in the Western Pacific and is

considered indigenous to the waters of Fiji. This fish lives in hard coral reefs on the faces of drop-

offs and in deep pools inside reef crests.

Life Strategy: Rabbitfish are named for their peaceful demeanor, but they have strong spines on

their dorsal and anal fins that contain a painful toxin. When Rabbitfish are young they school in

small and large groups. When they get into adulthood or shortly after spawning begins, they

break off into pairs or small units. Individual pairs are usually monogamous and act aggressively

towards others, therefore they there is wide ranges between pairs. To fend off predators, the

Rabbitfish has sharp, strong spines along its back. They are coated with a mucous that contains

toxin, inflicting painful wounds if startled. They do not have this when they are larvae and

juveniles, so few juveniles make it to adulthood.

Food / Feed Strategy: The Bicolor Foxface Rabbitfish is an omnivore. Due to the way the mouth

is positioned and shaped, it gets its food by plucking it from the reef it inhabits. Mainly it eats

algae, but it also eats small plankton and brine-shrimp that also live on the reefs.

Body Form or Style: Compressiform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Labriform

Mouth Position: Terminal

Citation: Jonna, R. 2003. "Siganidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 28,

2011 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Siganidae.html.


Common Name: Picasso Triggerfish

Scientific Name: Rhinecanthus aculeatus

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes

Family: Balistidae

Geography / Habitat: The Picasso Triggerfish inhabits the waters around Australia and

oceanic islands, the Indian Ocean, the East Indies (Philippines), Pacific Ocean, and the Red Sea

south of South Africa. You can find triggerfish near surge-swept reefs.

Life Strategy: In the wild, the male Picasso Triggerfish protects its own territory with several

females in it. Each female has its own piece of territory within the males. When spawning season

comes about, the female will dig a pit in which they spawn.

Food / Feed Strategy: The triggerfish is an omnivore and its diet consists mainly of

invertebrates, fish, and algae. The triggerfish will feed on a wide variety of crustaceans,

mollusks, and fish. They obtain their food by rooting through sand and rocks and scraping off

algae from coral with their teeth.




Citation: Schaffer, K. 2000. "Rhinecanthus aculeatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.

Accessed November 26, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rhinecanthus_aculeatus.html


Common Name: Blue Tang Surgeonfish

Scientific Name: Acanthurus coeruleus



Family: Acanthuridae

Geography / Habitat: Blue Tangs live on shallow marine reefs throughout the western Atlantic

Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Blue Tangs go from New York to the Amazon

Delta in Brazil. Primarily Blue Tangs live on hard-coral reefs, but they can also be found near soft

corals, sea grass beds, and algal beds. Juveniles prefer a place with plenty of cover while mating

couples gather at flat, sandy areas between reefs. They tend to shelter in coral holes and crevices.

Life Strategy: Blue Tangs usually mate in large groups over sandy patches and prefer a spot with a

strong current in order to carry the fertilized eggs out to sea. Courting females and a small number

of males break off from the group to release gametes at the surface in a behavior called “spawn

rush”. Often this technique is unsuccessful and stopped by the female.

Food / Feed Strategy: Blue Tangs are herbivores. They feed mainly on algae. They avoid eating

calcareous, calcium carbonate, like coral because they do not have the gizzard-like stomachs that

other surgeonfish have. They feed alone, in small groups, and in fairly large groups of over 100.



Mouth Position: Subterminal

Citation: Woodruff, G. and L. Wollerman. 2006. "Acanthurus coeruleus" (On-line), Animal

Diversity Web. Accessed November 28, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Acanthurus_coeruleus.html.


Common Name: Mandarin Fish

Scientific Name: Synchiropus splendidus



Family: Callionymidae

Geography / Habitat: The Mandarin Fish can be found in the western Pacific Ocean including

the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia and New Guinea. It is also known to live in the

Ryukyu Islands. Mandarin Fish are bottom dwellers and are found in coral reefs and shallow

lagoons.

Life Strategy: Mandarin fish spawn in reefs when small groups of males and females meet during

the night. When the male and female align themselves above the reef, they then release the eggs

and sperm. To scare away predators, Mandarin fish secrete mucous that might repel them. The

intense color also acts as a signal to predators that the prey is toxic.

Food / Feed Strategy: Mandarin fish feed from the bottom. Much of its food is found living in

reefs and other live rock. They eat small crustaceans such as amphipods and isopods. They have

small mouths so they eat small food.

Body Form or Style: Depressiform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Subcarangiform


Citation: Patel, K. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Synchiropus splendidus" (On-line), Animal Diversity

Web. Accessed November 29, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Synchiropus_splendidus.html.


Common Name: Clown Anemone Fish

Scientific Name: Amphiprion ocellaris



Family: Pomacentridae

Geography / Habitat: The Clown fish ranges from Northwest Australia, Southeast Asia, and

the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Clownfish live in coral reefs and sheltered lagoons. It is mainly

found in or near the anemones as part of a symbiotic relationship.

Life Strategy: Males are territorial of the anemone they inhabit and are monogamous. Nest

preparation is done by the male on bare rock once the substrate is cleared. Males attract

females by extending fins, biting, and chasing. When spawning is about to occur, the male will

coral the female into the anemone but the actual process is started by the female. Once the

female has laid the eggs, the male will pass over them while fertilizing them. The only way

Clown fish can defend themselves from predators is by living in anemones because they have

tentacles that sting.

Food / Feed Strategy: Clown fish are considered omnivores though their diet is primarily

planktonic foods, but they do feed on alga occasionally. They are also known to eat parasites off

of the anemone they inhabit.




Citation: Newcomb, D. and W. Fink. 2004. "Amphiprion ocellaris" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Amphiprion_ocellaris.html.


Common Name: Atlantic Cod

Scientific Name: Gadus morhua


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gadiformes

Family: Gadidae

Geography / Habitat: The Cod can be found along the eastern and northern coasts of North

America, the coast of Greenland, Iceland, the North Sea, and the Barents Sea. Cod live in the

open ocean and near the bottom. They can be found from the shoreline to the continental shelf.

Life Strategy: There is not much information on the reproduction of Cod, but research does show

that sound production is used by males on females. The female listens to the sound and if she

likes, she will choose that male. Atlantic cod are considered “batch-spawners”, which means they

release a small amount off eggs at any given time. Unfortunately, Cod have no real defense

against predators. The predators that eat them are harp and harbor seals, sharks, and humans.

Luckily, in some places the cod inhabit, the population of these predators is diminishing (except

humans of course).

Food / Feed Strategy: The Atlantic Cod is an opportunistic eater, which means it will eat anything

it is capable of capturing. What the Atlantic diets on depends on what stage of life it’s in. When it

is a larva, they eat zooplankton. When they are juveniles, they eat shrimp and other small

crustaceans. When they are mature, they eat much bigger animals such as squid, mussels, clams,

sea cucumbers, and even other cod.

Body Form or Style: Fusiform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Carangiform


Citation: Wilmot, C. and K. Wehrly. 2005. "Gadus morhua" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.

Accessed November 29, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gadus_morhua.html.


Common Name: Atlantic Tarpon

Scientific Name: Megalops atlanticus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Elopiformes

Family: Megalopidae

Geography / Habitat: The Atlantic Tarpon can be found mainly warm, shallow, coastal regions

of the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean. They are range from as far north as Nova Scotia and

as far south as Argentina. Tarpon live in estuaries, bays, lagoons, and have even been known to

travel up freshwater rivers.

Life Strategy: Tarpons will gather in groups of a few to a few hundred offshore between May

and August to spawn. Females have a very high birthrate, producing more than 12 million eggs.

Tarpon spawn in the deeper water so that the currents can carry their eggs to inshore nurseries

to develop. Tarpon use countershading to prevent predation. The dorsal surface is a dark color

that blends in to the dark deep water when a predator looks at it from above. The ventral

surface is a lighter color that blends with the surface water when a predator is looking at the

tarpon from below.

Food / Feed Strategy: The tarpon’s diet changes as it develops. In the larval stage, they rely

solely on the water for nutrients. As juveniles they feed on zooplankton, small fish, and insects.

When tarpon are full grown, they only eat fish and crustaceans. Due to their small teeth, tarpon

swallow their food whole.

Body Form or Style: Sagittiform


Mouth Position: Supraterminal

Citation: Burnham, J. and K. Wehrly. 2005. "Megalops atlanticus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Megalops_atlanticus.html.


Common Name: California Sheephead

Scientific Name: Semicossyphus pulcher



Family: Labridae

Geography / Habitat: Sheephead are found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean along the California

coast from Monterey Bay to the Gulf of California. Sheepheads live in rocky shoreline reefs, in

and around kelp beds.

Life Strategy: Sheepheads are polygamous. Sheepheads are broadcast spawners. Once eggs and

sperm are released, they drift out to sea. Parental care is non-existing in this species.

Sheepheads have no ability to prevent predation. They are commercially fished along with

being prey of harbor seals, sea lions, and sea birds.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sheepheads feed on benthic invertebrates such as purple sea urchins,

Pacific rock crabs, mussels, clams, and bryozoans. They also eat snails, squids, sand dollars,

and sea cucumbers. They have large canine-like teeth that they use to pry invertebrates off of

rocks with. Sheepheads are equipped with a special pharyngeal plate to crush calcareous

skeletal materials into small pieces so that the prey’s tissues can be separated and digested.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Ostraciiform


Citation: Doan, T., L. Graves, S. Graves, I. Perez and M. Pineda. 2011."Semicossyphuspulcher"

(On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 30, 2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Semicossyphus_pulcher.html


Common Name: Yellow Tang

Scientific Name: Zebrasoma flavescens




Geography / Habitat: Yellow tangs are found in the Pacific Ocean. They mainly live off the

coast of Hawaii, but are also found in the more western ranges like the Ryukyu Islands. They

inhabit coral reefs in subtropical waters. They do not like much wave activity so they live in the

sub-surge zone.

Life Strategy: Yellow tangs spawn can spawn in pairs or in groups. When in groups, females

will release eggs and males sperm into the open water to allow fertilization to occur. When in a

pair, the male will court the female by changing colors. The pair then swims upward and

release eggs and sperm simultaneously. Yellow tangs main predators are larger fish and

predatory invertebrates such as the crab and octopus. Their only strategies against predation

are their camouflage and scalpel-like fins.

Food / Feed Strategy: Yellow tangs have long, down-turned mouths filled with small teeth for

grazing on algae. They are mainly herbivores and eat uncalcified and filamentous algae from

the coral reef they inhabit alone or in groups. They also eat seaweed and some types of

zooplankton.




Citation: Zabetakis, K. and K. Omland. 2008. "Zebrasoma flavescens" (On-line), Animal

Diversity Web. Accessed December 06, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Zebrasoma_flavescens.html.


Common Name: Peacock Flounder

Scientific Name: Bothus lunatus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Pleuronectiformes

Family: Bothidae

Geography / Habitat: Peacock flounder live in the West Atlantic Ocean. They are found off the

coasts of Florida, Bermuda, and all the way down to Brazil. They live a benthic style on sand

and rock bottoms, including coral reef environments.

Life Strategy: Peaconk flounder use the “harem” mating system in which one male mate with

several females. The females have their own territory within a male’s. When mating begins

between a male and female, they will rise and fall together several times. Researchers believe

they do this to have better dispersal of gametes and predator avoidance. As a result of Peacock

flounder’s practice of broadcast spawning, many small eggs are produced at once, which means

there is no parental care for the eggs and survival rate is low. Predators of the Peacock flounder

include sharks, rays, and large fish. Flounders have several ways to avoid predation, these

include: being able to change color, bury themselves in the substrate, and spawning at dusk to

reduce chances of being seen.

Food / Feed Strategy: Peacock flounders eat other benthic organisms. They are predators and

feed on other fish. They do, however, occasionally eat invertebrates such as crabs and even

octopi. Peacock flounder have been documented to eat the Caribbean sharpnose puffer, which

suggests that flounders have a unique feeding behavior to effectively stun prey.




Citation: Otterbein, K. 2011. "Bothus lunatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 06, 2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bothus_lunatus.html.


Common Name: Blackfin Wolf Herring

Scientific Name: Chirocentrus dorab


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Clupeiformes

Family: Chirocentridae

Geography / Habitat: Blackfins are found in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. They range from

the eastern shores of Africa to the Solomon Islands. They also range from as far north as

southern Japan and south as northern Australia. Blackfins prefer warm, coastal waters, often

in inland areas. Blackfins frequent coral reefs which they find as potential hunting grounds.

Life Strategy: Blackfins reproduce by spawning and are thought to have the same mating

system as the suborder Clupeoidei. It is believed that Blackfins spawn annually, producing

many offspring. Blackfins are not so much as prey as they are predators. They prey on sardines

mostly. They are, however, susceptible to marine leeches.

Food / Feed Strategy: Blackfins are carnivorous and eat other fish, crustaceans, and squid.

Their preferred food is sardines. As juvenilles, they also display this behavior by preying on

small fish, small shrimp, and post-larvae.




Citation: Herring, M. 2011. "Chirocentrus dorab" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Chirocentrus_dorab.html.


Common Name: Bonefish

Scientific Name: Albula vulpes


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Albuliformes

Family: Albulidae

Geography / Habitat: Bonefish are found from the southern coast of Florida, throught the

Bahamas and along the coast of South America. When Bonefish begin to hunt, they hunt in

shallow waters, but once they are through, they go back in to deeper waters.

Life Strategy: Bonefish reproduce seasonally. Bonefish are polygynandrous and randomly

mate. During spawning, females release their eggs and males externally fertilize them in the

immediate area they’re released. Spawning occurs in deep water in currents and in groups for a

high success rate. After eggs are fertilized, there is not parental care that follows. Bonefish,

being a large fish, only has e few predators. Mainly barracudas, sharks, and humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bonefish are carnivorous and have a variety of prey. They diet on

mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and shrimp. Bonefish live in schools but will break off into smaller

groups to eat.




Citation: Reeves, S. 2011. "Albula vulpes" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Albula_vulpes.html.


Common Name: Thresher Shark

Scientific Name: Alopius vulpinus


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes

Family: Alopiidae

Geography / Habitat: Threshers are found in almost every major ocean. They are found along

the west and east coasts of North America. They are common around Asia and occasionally in

the central and western Pacific Ocean. Threshers live just beyond the continental shelf

Life Strategy: Threshers breed yearlong in most parts of the world. Research suggests they

breed in northern waters during spring and summer and release their pups into nurseries along

the coast as they travel south for the winter months. Pups are born independent but will remain

near the nurseries for a few years for safety reasons. Threshers don’t have a line of defense

against predators because they are at the top of the food chain. The only predators Threshers

have are bigger sharks and their own kind when they are juvenilles.

Food / Feed Strategy: Like most sharks, Threshers are carnivorous and feed mainly on small

fish. Threshers use their large caudal fin to pack schools of fish into tight, packed balls to

maximize strike success. Threshers diet on different varieties of marine life depending on the

time of the year.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Thunniform


Citation: Lewis, J. 2011. "Alopias vulpinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Alopias_vulpinus.html.


Common Name: Copper Rockfish

Scientific Name: Sebastes caurinus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Scorpaeniformes

Family: Scorpaenidae

Geography / Habitat: Rockfish are found in waters along the Pacific coast ranging from Baja,

California to Kehui, Alaksa. They are also found in the waters of British Columbia and

Puget Sound. Rockfish are demersal, preferring the ocean bottom near low-profile rocks and

reefs. Tagged experiments show that mature fish do not stray too far from their home.

Life Strategy: Spawning in Rockfish occurs once a year during Spring that varies

geographically. Fertilization occurs internally. Females move inshore to release their young and

are capable of regulating where and when larvae are released. The females provide

nourishment to the embryos internally until they are released but are completely independent

once they are born. Juvenilles fall prey to predators that reside in kelp beds and adult Rockfish

to lingcod and other large predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Rockfish are opportunistic carnivores that feed on organisms near the

ocean floor, usually crabs, mollusks, and other fish. Rockfish tend to be aggressive eaters and

have even been known to prey on a small shark species, the Squalus acanthias.

Body Form or Style: Globiform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Ostraciiform


Citation: Gumerson, J. and W. Fink. 2004. "Sebastes caurinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity

Web. Accessed December 06, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sebastes_caurinus.html.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Squalus_acanthias.html


Common Name: American Shad

Scientific Name: Alosa sapidissima


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cluepeiformes

Family: Clupeidae

Geography / Habitat: American shad can be found along the coastal areas of the Pacific and

Atlantic oceans. The only time they are not here is when they move to the rivers of America,

Canada, and Mexico to lay their eggs. American shad generally live in the deep ocean away

from the shore except during spawning season. They are a migratory species.

Life Strategy: American shad will move into freshwater rivers during the late months of

Winter to spawn. One or more males will chase a female and try to get her to lay her eggs.

Once she has done so, he will immediately fertilize the eggs. The eggs separate and drift away

in the current. This raises the survival rate because eggs are more likely to fall prey to other

predators if they were to be discovered in a cluster. The American shad has many predators:

bass, walleye, channel catfish, bears, birds, dolphins, and humans. American shad have two

types of defense against predation; the first is darkening their color when entering rivers to

blend into their environment. The second is the ability to detect ultrasound use of predators

such as the dolphin. Whenever they detect it, they flee and hide.

Food / Feed Strategy: As juveniles, American shad are omnivores and their diet consists of

mostly zooplankton and insect larvae. When American shad grow to adult size they begin to

include small fish, crustaceans, plankton, worms, and occasionally fish eggs into their diet.




Citation: Kessler, S. 2011. "Alosa sapidissima" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Alosa_sapidissima.html.


Common Name: Skipjack Tuna

Scientific Name: Katsuwonus pelamis



Family: Scombridae

Geography / Habitat: Skipjack are found almost all over the world. Skipjacks tend to be

associated with regions of upwelling and areas where cold and warm water mix. In short, areas

with high productivity. They live in the deep ocean.

Life Strategy: Skipjack reproduce throughout the year. How Skipjacks reproduce is unknown

but we do know that they like to spawn in the tropical regions of the world’s oceans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Skipjacks are opportunistic feeders and diet mostly on other fish,

mollusks, and crustaceans. Due to their opportunistic habits, they are believed to be

cannibalistic.




Citation: Ivan, L. 2000. "Katsuwonus pelamis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 07, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Katsuwonus_pelamis.html.


Common Name: Bluefin Tuna

Scientific Name: Thunnus thynnus



Family: Scombridae

Geography / Habitat: Bluefins can be found throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the

western Atlantic they range from Labrador to northern Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic they

range from Norway to the Canary Islands. In the western Pacific they range from Japan to the

Philippines. In the eastern Pacific they range from the southern coast of Alaska to Baja

California, Mexico. Bluefins live in both coastal and pelagic waters.

Life Strategy: Bluefins spawn in aggregations, which can also be called broadcast spawning.

During the spawning season, Bluefins will migrate to either the Gulf of Mexico or the

Mediterranean and form spawning aggregations. Bluefins do not care for their young once

they’re born. Predators of Bluefins include sharks, large predatory fish, humans, and killer

whales. Bluefins use their speed to get away from predators. They also live in schools. Their

countershaded coloration allows them to blend in with the aquatic environment around them.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bluefins use their ability to swim at high speeds to catch prey. They diet

on smaller fish, squid, eels, and crustaceans. They can also use modified filter feeding to catch

small, slow-moving organisms. They have also been known to eat kelp. Larvae feed on brine

shrimp, other fish larvae, and rotifers. Juveniles feed on smaller organisms.




Citation: Johnson, M. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Thunnus thynnus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Thunnus_thynnus.html.


Common Name: Whitetip Reef Shark

Scientific Name: Triaenodon obesus


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Carcharhiniformes

Family: Carcharhiniformes

Geography / Habitat: The whitetip can be found in both the Indian and Pacific oceans. They range from

the coasts of South Africa and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean to the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama in the

Pacific. They are found mostly in the Indo-Pacific seas. The Whitetip, as its name suggests, lives in and

around coral reefs. These reefs are found in tropical, coastal waters. Whitetips are nocturnal animals and

hide in coral reef crevices and caves during the day. Whitetips share their shelter with other reef sharks;

however, each species keeps to its own territory among the reef community. Life Strategy: Male Whitetips have been known to school in groups of nearly a hundred in pursuit of a

female ready to mate. This species mates in autumn and winter. Once the female is pregnant, she carries the

pups for another five months. The female gives birth to an average of two to three live pups. Once the pups

are born they are immediately independent, but, the mother continues to care for them making her slower,

less maneuverable, and much more vulnerable to predators. The whitetip has no special defense against

predatrion, and its worst predator is humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Whitetips are docile during the day, but when night falls, they become very aggressive

hunters. The whitetip thrashes through the coral to find prey. It uses another technique, it will wedge the

front half of its body into a crevice to catch prey and will stay there until the prey is caught. It is considered

a pelagic predator, but is quite clumsy and slow out in the open. It is a much better hunter in reefs, and

specializes in bottom-feeding. Its ventrally located mouth allows it to pick up crustaceans and octopi off the

sea floor.




Citation: Biology of Fishes, A. Feldkamp and W. Fink. 2005. "Triaenodon obesus" (On-line),

Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 08, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Triaenodon_obesus.html.


Common Name: Lingcod

Scientific Name: Ophiodon elongatus



Family: Hexagrammidae

Geography / Habitat: The Lingcod can be found in the west coast of North America. They range

from the Shumagin Islands in the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. Lingcod live in

banks with dense communities of algae and channels with strong currents flowing around and

over rocky reefs. They do not like and try to avoid muddy or sandy bottoms with non-flowing

currents.

Life Strategy: Lingcod reproduce sexually and fertilize externally. The spawning season begins

in late winter. Males will attract one or more females to his nesting place, once there, females

deposit 40 to 500 thousand eggs within crevices or cavities. A single male fertilizes the egg

masses of multiple females. Females will soon leave the nesting site, and the male will then be

out in charge. Male lingcods are very territorial and will defend the nest and eggs with

aggression. There have even been reports of them attacking humans who come too close.

Food / Feed Strategy: Lingcod are ambush predators that will eat anything that will fit into

their mouths. Lingcod focus mainly on other fish and large invertebrates. They have been

known to eat their own kind and various species of salmon and rockfish, as well as Pacific

herring and octopus.




Citation: Adam, C., B. Reilly, K. Shannon and A. Stuart. 2011. "Ophiodon elongatus" (On-

line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 08, 2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ophiodon_elongatus.html.


Common Name: Wolf-eel

Scientific Name: Anarrhichthys ocellatus



Family: Anarhichadidae

Geography / Habitat: Wolf-eels can be found in the North Pacific. They range from the Sea of

Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan to the Aleutian islands and along the western coast of North

America to Baja California. Wolf-eels are strictly marine and live in cold, shallow, coastal

waters. They are demersal in their habitats; they live exclusively in sheltered, rocky, sub-tidal

areas or near rocky structures in areas with sandy bottoms.

Life Strategy: Males and females form monogamous pairs for mating. Some evidence shows that

they mate for life. The male and female will wrap their body around the egg mass to protect

them until they hatch. They aggressively protect their batch in rocky dens until they hatch. Wolf-

eels biggest predators are the rockfish and kelp greenlings. The only defense wolf-eels have

against predation is their teeth. When threatened, they’ll open their mouths wide to predators

and bare their teeth to try and scare away danger.

Food / Feed Strategy: Wolf-eels have robust jaws and teeth; these allow them to break hard-

shelled invertebrates such as crabs, snails, mussels, and clams. Wolf-eels occasionally eat fish but

are better at catching slow-moving organisms.

Body Form or Style: Anguilliform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Anguilliform


Citation: Dewey, T. 2009. "Anarrhichthys ocellatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 08, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Anarrhichthys_ocellatus.html.


Common Name: Commerson’s Dolphin

Scientific Name: Cephalorhynchus commersonii


Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea

Family: Delphinidae

Geography / Habitat: Commerson’s dolphin can be found in the coastal waters of the southwest

Atlantic Ocean. They are most commonly seen along the eastern coast of South America.

Commerson’s dolphins live in cold, shallow, inshore waters along coastlines, harbors, bays, and

river mouths. They are also frequently found in kelp beds and narrow passages like those in the

Strait of Magellan.

Life Strategy: Commerson’s dolphins breed between September and November. After carrying the

calf for 12 months, the female gives birth to one baby dolphin. Female Commersons take care of

their young; they are attentive and protective of their baby. Commersons have no defense against

predation. Killer whales, sharks, and leopard seals are classified as predators of the Commeron

because they live in the same geographical region; however, no attack has been documented. The

only predator Commersons must worry about are humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Commersons are carnivorous, opportunistic feeders. Their diet consists

mainly of shrimp, small fish, squid, octopus, and even algae.

Body Form or Style: Thunniform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Fusiform


Citation: Peterson, L. and A. Salemi. 2011. “Cephalorhymchus commersonii” (On-line), Animal

Diversity Web. Accessed December 10, 2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cephalorhynchus_commersonii.

html.


Common Name: Atlantic Blue Marlin

Scientific Name: Makaira nigricans



Family: Istiophoridae

Geography / Habitat: The marlin can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Larvae are found primarily in the western and central Pacific Ocean. They range from south of

the Maldives Islands, around the Mascaline Islands, and off of the south coasts of Java and

Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. They are found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean off of

Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Jamaica, Bahamas, Arecibo, and Brazil. Marlins live out in

the open ocean except for where the continental shelf is narrow.

Life Strategy: The spawning season extends from July through October in the North Atlantic,

when the temperature is right in the South Atlantic, from December to January during the

southern hemisphere’s summer. When a female releases her eggs, they float to the surface of the

water doe to their buoyancy and drift in the water until they hatch. They have no parental care.

The only predator of the marlin is humans. The only defense marlins have is their elongated bill

that comes to a point at the end.

Food / Feed Strategy: The marlin catches its prey by approaching a school of fish at full speed,

slashes through with its bill, and returns to devour any stunned or dead prey. It is considered a

specialized but opportunistic feeder. Marlins diet on mainly fish but also eat squid.




Citation: Tung, L. 2003. "Makaira nigricans" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 10, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Makaira_nigricans.html.


Common Name: Sailfin Tang

Scientific Name: Zebrasoma veliferum




Geography / Habitat: Sailfin tangs are found on the Pacific Ocean. They range from Indonesia

and Christmas Island to the Hawaiinand Tuamotu Islands, north to southern Japan, and south

to the southern Great Barrier Reef. Sailfins live in lagoons and seaward reefs from the lower

surge zone.

Life Strategy: Sailfins have been documented spawning in pairs and in groups, although group

spawning is more common. Reproduction is polygynandrous. The Sialfin has a one strategy

and one defense against predation. The Sailfin’s strategy is eating during the day and hiding at

night in the coral reef. It’s one defense is a sharp caudal spine that has a bright yellow

coloration to deter predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: The sailfin is primarily an herbivore and feeds on benthic algae. They

also feed on zooplankton when there is abundance.

Body Form or Style: Labriform

Swim / Locomotion Style: Compressiform


Citation: Cater, K. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Zebrasoma veliferum" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Zebrasoma_veliferum.html.


Common Name: Gray Whale

Scientific Name: Eschrichtius robustus



Family: Eschrichtiidae

Geography / Habitat: Gray whales can be found in the eastern and western north Pacific.

Eastern north Pacific whales use shallow arctic feeding grounds during the summer, which are

located in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. During the fall, they migrate south along the west coast

of North America to their breeding grounds. Gray whales live in coastal waters with muddy or

sandy bottoms. They are a migratory species and rely on many coastal habitats.

Life Strategy: Gray whales mate throughout the year, although more commonly on the fall.

Once a female is pregnant, she carries the calf for 13 to 14 months before giving birth to a single

calf. Calving grounds are normally in shallow lagoons. Females care for their young after they

are born and are extremely protective of them, especially against such predators as orcas and

whalers.

Food / Feed Strategy: Gray whales are filter feeders and are the only cetacean known primarily

as a bottom feeder. They feed in shallow water with muddy or sandy bottoms or in kelp beds.

They dive to the ocean floor, fill their mouths with sediment, and filter out anything to eat. Gray

whales are considered opportunistic feeders and so in groups.




Citation: Kidd, T. 2011. "Eschrichtius robustus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Eschrichtius_robustus.html.


Common Name: Tiger Shark

Scientific Name: Galeocerdo cuvier



Family: Carcharhinidae

Geography / Habitat: The Tiger shark can be found along the coasts of eastern North America,

eastern Brazil, China, India, Africa, Japan, and many islands of the Pacific. Tiger sharks prefer

sea grass ecosystems. For some strange reason, females have been found more often in shallow

waters than males. Both genders have been documented in river estuaries and harbors.

Life Strategy: Tiger sharks are polygynandrous. Breeding seasons differ in the northern and

southern hemispheres. In the northern, females delay fertilization until March or May so they

may give birth in May or June of the following year. A female can give birth to 10 to 80 pups

after carrying them for about 16 months. Unfortunately many of them won’t survive to

adulthood. The pups are born in a nursery and once they have, they are completely

independent.

Food / Feed Strategy: Tiger sharks are carnivores and prey on fish, mollusks, birds, snakes,

crustaceans, sea turtles, and dugongs. They have saw-like teeth that are able to penetrate turtle

shells. They rely on stealth more so than speed.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Sagittiform


Citation: Draper, K. 2011. "Galeocerdo cuvier" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Galeocerdo_cuvier.html.


Common Name: Great White Shark

Scientific Name: Carcharodon carcharias



Family: Lamnidae

Geography / Habitat: Great Whites have a very wide geographical range. They can be found in

all cold temperate and tropical coastal waters. The range from the coastal waters of California to

the western cape of South Africa. They have even been reported in North American coastal

waters from Newfoundland to Florida and from Alaska to Southern Mexico. Great Whites live

primarily offshore around islands and continental shelves.

Life Strategy: Researchers believe male Great Whites use a “pattern breach” to attract female

partners. They will propel two-thirds of their body out of the water and flat against the surface to

make a big splash. When a female is pregnant, she carries the pups for about 12 months. Once

she gives birth in the nursery, the pups are entirely independent. These sharks have no predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Juvenile sharks eat smaller species such as squid and stingrays. As they

develop their diet changes. They feed more on seals, sealions, dolphins, and whale carcasses. The

strategy used for feeding is swimming vertically up from below the prey and biting.




Citation: Chewning, D., M. Hall and S. Baker. 2009. "Carcharodon carcharias" (On-line),

Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 11, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carcharodon_carcharias.html.


Common Name: Spotted Eagle Ray

Scientific Name: Aetobatus narinari


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Rajiformes

Family: Myliobatidae

Geography / Habitat: The Eagle Ray can be found in any water that is warm temperate and

tropical. They range from as far as North Carolina to as far south as Brazil. They have also

been known to live in the Red Sea and around the Hawaiian Islands. The Eagle Ray lives in and

around reef edges and prefers the ones with soft bottoms. It is often seen in beach areas and

estuaries and mangroves.

Life Strategy: The breeding season is typically during the summer. Multiple males will chase

one female. Once one of the males wins over the female, she becomes pregnant for eight to

twelve months. A female can have one to four pups but the average is two. There is no

information on parental care after birth. The biggest predators are silvertip sharks and great

hammerheads. Rays have electro sensory organs in their snouts to detect potential predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: The Eagle Ray is a carnivore. They feed mainly on crustaceans, mollusks,

and aquatic worms. They also eat smaller fish occasionally.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Rajiform


Citation: Pederson, t. 2011. "Aetobatus narinari" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Aetobatus_narinari.html.


Common Name: Lathherback Turtle

Scientific Name: Dermochelys coriacea


Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines

Family: Dermochelyidae

Geography / Habitat: Leatherbacks live in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean. They range

from Nova Scotia, Labrador, and Newfoundland to Argentina and South Africa. Leatherbacks

live in tropical, temperate and even some subarctic oceans.

Life Strategy: Males and females com offshore between April and November to breed. If males

are successful, they will continue to return to the same location as the year before. Once a

female is ready to give birth, she will swim ashore and make a nest. She then lays about 50 to

179 eggs; however, the majority is yolkless and will not develop further. Other than the female

making a nest and covering a batch of eggs with sand, there is no parental care from either

parent. Almost all organisms, whether from land or aquatic, seem to be predators of this turtle.

Countershading and aggressiveness are the only things that prevent predation on this animal.

Food / Feed Strategy: Leatherbacks are carnivores. They feed in open water on gelatinous

invertebrates such as jellyfish and salps. They also eat crustaceans, fish, cephalopods, sea

urchins, and snails. Leatherbacks have sharp-edged jaws designed for eating soft-bodies prey.

Body Form or Style: N/A

Swim / Locomotion Style: N/A


Citation: Farmer, A., A. Roszko, S. Flore, K. Hatton, V. Combos, A. Helton, K. Francl and F.

Fontanes. 2007. "Dermochelys coriacea" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December

13, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dermochelys_coriacea.html.


Common Name: Bluering Angelfish

Scientific Name: Pomacanthus annularis



Family: Pomacanthidae

Geography / Habitat: The Bluering can be found in the Indo-Pacific region. They range from

Sri Lanka to the Solomon Islands and from the Philippines to the northern tip of Australia.

Bleurings live around rocky coral reefs and other hard bottom coastal areas.

Life Strategy: Multiple females have their own territory within one male’s. The mating ritual

consists of one female and male swimming slowly toward the surface while releasing eggs and

sperm. Spawning is thought to occur between one female and male but it is suspected that the

male will mate with all females in his territory.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bluerings are omnivores and diet on benthic invertebrates such as

zooplankton, sponges, tunicates, and coral polyps. They also eat ascidians, algae, weeds, and

nektonic fish.

Body Form or Style: Labriform



Citation: Brackney, A. 2003. "Pomacanthus annularis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.

Accessed December 11, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pomacanthus_annularis.html.


Common Name: Bluntnose Sevengill Shark

Scientific Name: Notorynchus cepedianus


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Hexanchiformes

Family: Hexanchidae

Geography / Habitat: The Sevengill shark can be found in all oceans except the Atlantic Ocean

and Mediterranean Sea. They range from Southern Brazil to Northern Argentina in the SW

region of the Atlantic Ocean, from Nambia to South Africa in the SE region of the Atlantic

Ocean, from Southern Japan to new Zealand in the Western Pacific Ocean, and from Canada to

Chile in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. There have been reported sightings in the Indian Ocean as

well. The larger sharks live near continental shelves. Smaller sharks live in shallow coastal

waters.

Life Strategy: Breeding season occurs once every two years. Breeding occurs between spring and

early summer months. When a female is pregnant, she carries the pups for twelve months before

giving birth. Females birth eighty-two to ninety-five young in a single litter. There is no parental

care after birth; to survive, pups remain in shallow bays until they are mature enough to migrate

to offshore environments. These sharks have few predators and besides their intimidating size

and jagged teeth filled mouths.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sevengills are carnivorous, opportunistic feeders. They hunt in groups and

ambush prey by sneaking up on them and attacking at high speeds.




Citation: Yilmaz, Z. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Notorynchus cepedianus" (On-line), Animal


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Notorynchus_cepedianus.html.


Common Name: Chain Catshark

Scientific Name: Scyliorhinus retifer



Family: Scyliorhinidae

Geography / Habitat: The Catshark can be found in the northwest and western Central

Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the continental shelf along the

northeastern U.S. They live along the outer continental shelf and upper slope of the western

Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. They favor hard bottom habitats.

Life Strategy: There is little known on how Catsharks breed in the wild. They are thought to be

polygynandrous; they are not live-bearers. The female finds sponges, gorgonians, or man-made

structures that the embryo case can wrap itself around. She then lets it go and leaves it. The

eggs emerge from the egg case about 250 days later. Naturally, the only known predators of

Catsharks are larger sharks and piscivorous fish.

Food / Feed Strategy: Catsharks are carnivores. Juveniles and adults prey on fish, squid,

annelids, and crustaceans.




Citation:Bond, M. and K. Francl. 2006. "Scyliorhinus retifer" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Scyliorhinus_retifer.html.


Common Name: Albacore

Scientific Name: Thunnus alalunga



Family: Scombridae

Geography / Habitat: Albacore can be found in the North Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, North

Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The Albacore lives in the open water; the larger

bodied Albacore tend to live in deeper water while the smaller bodied ones live closer to the

surface.

Life Strategy: Albacore breed seasonally and are polygynandrous. They breed from July to

September in the Northern Hemisphere, while the Southern Hemisphere breeds from October

to March. Females lay their eggs and the males externally fertilize them. Sharks, rays, large

tuna, and billfishes are the biggest predators for Albacore. Humans also fall under the category.

Food / Feed Strategy: Albacore are opportunistic carnivores. Their diet consists mainly of

smaller fishes, crustacean zooplankton, gonatid squid, and Japanese anchovy. Due to the fact

anchovy are the most common organism found in the stomachs of Albacore, this presents the

possibility that Albacore follow their prey throughout the water column.

Body Form or Style: Subcarangiform



Citation: Hwang, M. and K. Wehrly. 2005. "Thunnus alalunga" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Thunnus_alalunga.html.


Common Name: Pacific Angel Shark

Scientific Name: Squatina californica


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Squatiniformes

Family: Squatinidae

Geography / Habitat: Angel shark can be found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They range from

Costa Rica to Southern Chile and also from Southeast Alaska to the Gulf of California. Angel

sharks live in shallow waters with soft bottoms. They also live on continental shelves of western

North and South America.

Life Strategy: The Angel shark breed annually with the female being pregnant for about ten

months. The breeding period is from May to August. A female can have one to thirteen pups

but the average is eight. The pups are believed to be completely independent once they are born.

Food / Feed Strategy: Angel sharks are carnivores that diet mainly on bony fish and

cephalopods such as squid and octopus. They also diet on, though not as common, crustaceans

and other mollusks. Angel sharks main predators are sharks that are larger in size and humans.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Rajiform


Citation: De Craene, L. and W. Fink. 2004. "Squatina californica" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Squatina_californica.html.


Common Name: Dogtooth Tuna

Scientific Name: Gymnosarda unicolor



Family: Scombridae

Geography / Habitat: Dogtooth Tuna can be found in the Indo West Pacific. They range from

Australia to East Africa and the Red Sea. They are also found off the coast of Japan and the

Philippines, New Guinea, Marquesas, Tahiti, Tuamotus, Pitcairn, and Oeno Islands. They are

considered pelagic, but come inshore and are found around coral reefs and atolls

Life Strategy: Spawning takes place from December to February. Dogtooth tuna are classified as

open water substratum eggs scatterers. The eggs are small and float near the surface, hatching

within a couple of days. The biggest predator of this fish is humans. They are commercially

fished.

Food / Feed Strategy: Dogtooth tuna are carnivores. They eat shoaling fish like herring, mackerel,

and cuttlefish. They also eat squid occasionally.




Citation: Samuels, K. 2001. "Gymnosarda unicolor" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 13, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gymnosarda_unicolor.html.


Common Name: Porbeagle

Scientific Name: Lamna nasus



Family: Lamnidae

Geography / Habitat: The Porbeagle can be found in the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic

Ocean. They range from South Carolina as far north as Norway. They can also be found in the

Mediterranean Sea and from Morocco to the arctic waters off of northwestern Russia. In the

southern hemisphere they can be found along, primarily, the western, southern, and eastern

coasts of South America, Africa, and Australia. They prefer to live in pelagic and littoral zones

and prefer cold waters.

Life Strategy: Porbeagles are ovoviviparous, meaning they retain the eggs until they hatch, and

breed from September to November. Females will carry pups for eight to nine months. They

can give birth to one to five pups with the average being four. Parental care is unknown but is

usually uncommon in shark species anyway. The only possible predators of Poebeagles are

white sharks and orcas, and there have been no accounts of attack.

Food / Feed Strategy: Porbeagles are carnivores. They diet on many kinds of fish, other sharks,

and even snails and sea urchins which suggests they forage at the bottom of the water column.

Even though they are considered opportunistic feeders, they have preferred foods at different

times of the year.




Citation: Edmunds, J. and R. Meredith. 2011. "Lamna nasus" (On-line), Animal Diversity

Web. Accessed December 13, 2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lamna_nasus.html.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lamna_nasus.html


Common Name: Bottlenosed Dolphin

Scientific Name: Tursiops truncatus



Family: Delphinidae

Geography / Habitat: Bottlenosed dolphins can be found in the Pacfic, Atlantic, and Indian

Ocean, along with the Red Sea. Bottlenose dolphins live in bays, estuaries, open shorelines, and

large estuarine rivers.

Life Strategy: Bottlenosed dolphins are polygamous. They will breed once every 3 to 6 years and

during that year, they will breed at any time. When a male finally attracts a female and gets her

pregnant, she carries the calf for about a year. Females will give birth to one calf. Females care

for their calf for five years; a group of females will help care for all the calves. Sharks are the

only predators dolphins must be wary of, though stingrays have causing an increase in deaths.

Food / Feed Strategy: What Bottlenosed dolphins eat depends on where they live, referring to

habitat and the geographical location. They usually hunt individually but will get into groups to

feed, especially when there is a large school of fish involved. They have quite a few strategies for

catching prey. One is “strand feeding.” The second is echolocation. The third is passive listening.




Citation: Jenkins, J. and P. Myers. 2009. "Tursiops truncatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tursiops_truncatus.html.


Common Name: Whale Shark

Scientific Name: Rhincodon typus


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Orectolobiformes

Family: Rhincodontidae

Geography / Habitat: Whale sharks can be found in the Oriental, Ethiopian, Australian,

Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Ocean. Whale sharks live in moderate temperature water in the

deep sea.

Life Strategy: Little is known about the reproduction of Whale sharks. We do know they are

ovoviviparous. There have been reports of adult Whale sharks swimming with younger ones,

this suggests that Whale sharks care for their young after they’re born. Juveniles carcasses have

been found in blue sharks, blue marlin, and killer whales; but other than that, the only predator

of an adult are humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Whale sharks are one of three species of filter-feeding sharks. Whale

sharks use their gigantic mouths to suck in water that might carry food. They are considered

planktivores but eat fish, cnidarians, and zooplankton. Once the shark has the mixture in its

mouth, it pushes it through a filter in the gills to allow the water leave and the food to stay.




Citation: French, H. 2011. "Rhincodon typus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rhincodon_typus.html.


Common Name: Moray Eel

Scientific Name: Gymnothorax funebris


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Anguilliformes

Family: Muraenidae

Geography / Habitat: Morays can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf

of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. They range from New Jersey to Brazil. They are most common

in Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys. Morays live in rocky,

intertidal areas, coral reefs, mangroves, tidal creeks, harbors, sea grass, and other areas over

soft-bottoms.

Life Strategy: We know that fertilization occurs externally and at a specific spawning site. It is

not known when Morays spawn, but their close relatives spawn in the early months of the year.

When a spawning site is chosen, millions of eggs are released. There is no parental care after the

eggs are laid. Anything that eats zooplankton will eat Morays as larvae. When they become full

grown, they don’t have nearly as many predators as before.

Food / Feed Strategy: morays are carnivores. It diets on almost any species of fish as long as

they are not too big to eat. They also eat cephalopods and crustaceans. Morays gulp their food

down or, if the prey is a little too big, will tear it apart.




Citation: Wilson, K. and A. Fraser. 2006. "Gymnothorax funebris" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gymnothorax_funebris.html.


Common Name: Heaviside’s Dolphin

Scientific Name: Cephalorhynchus heavisidii



Family: Delphinidae

Geography / Habitat: Heaviside’s dolphin can be found in coastal waters off of Africa’s southwestern coast.

They range from central Angola to the southern-most tip of South Africa. They live exclusively in the

Atlantic Ocean. Most sightings have been in the Benguela current.

Life Strategy: There is little information on the breeding system for Heaviside’s dolphin, but most other

dolphins are promiscuous. They breed once every 2 to 4 years from spring to late summer. They usually give

birth to a single calf after carrying it for almost a year. Females are thought to care for their young after

they’re born; due to the lack of space in the womb, a calves tail and fins are folded, so when it is born, the

mother must help it build its’ muscles and learn to swim. Humans are the biggest potential predator for

these dolphins due to accidental death by fish nets; however, the Japanese culture finds their meat a

delicacy.

Food / Feed Strategy: Heaviside’s dolphins are carnivores. Their primarily feed on hake and kingclip. They

also feed on Octopods, kingfish, gobies, and squid. They have torpedo shaped bodies that allow them to

swim at high speeds to catch prey.




Citation: Blanken, S. 2011. "Cephalorhynchus heavisidii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cephalorhynchus_heavisidii.html.


Common Name: Californian anchoveta

Scientific Name: Engraulis mordax


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Clupeiformes

Family: Engraulidae

Geography / Habitat: The Northern anchovies can be found off the west coast of North

America. They range from Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada, to Cabo San

Lucas in Baja California, Mexico, and in the Gulf of California. This is and epipelagic and

reritic species.

Life Strategy: Northern anchovies are promiscuous. They breed during late winter through

spring; however, research shows that they breed year round with peak being in February to

April. These anchovies are broadcast spawners, therefore, parental care is nonexistent. Almost

everything in the ocean is a predator to Northern anchovies, including humans. They form large

schools for protection.

Food / Feed Strategy: Anchovies are filter feeders. They diet on krill, copepod, and decapod

larvae. They assume an S-shaped posture when prey is in sight, and when the prey is within

striking distance, they straighten their body which projects them forward and the prey caught.

Water that passes over the gills goes through long, finely separated gill rakers that catch and

food particles.




Citation: Davis, T., E. DelaTorre and A. Raub. 2011. "Engraulis mordax" (On-line), Animal


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Engraulis_mordax.html.


Common Name: Long-finned Pilot Whale

Scientific Name: Globicephala melas



Family: Delphinidae

Geography / Habitat: The northern group of Pilot whales can be found in the Atlantic Ocean.

They range from Greenland, Iceland, the Barents and the North Seas into the north-east coast

of the United States and east into the Mediterranean Sea. The south group can be found in the

Indian and South Pacific Oceans. They range from New Zealand to Australia. They live in cold,

saltwater water.

Life Strategy: Females mate every 4 years. Breeding season begins in spring and early summer,

from April to June. When a female becomes pregnant, she carries her calf for 16 months and

will have a single baby. Females will from a large pod and help take care of any calves within it.

Females will care for the young for a little over two years, and then they leave them. Humans

are the only predators of this species.

Food / Feed Strategy: Pilot whales are carnivorous. They feed mainly on mollusks and fish.

They also eat squid, mackerel, Atlantic herring, cod, and turbot. They use human’s commercial

fishing to easily catch prey.




Citation: Preston, J. 2011. "Globicephala melas" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Globicephala_melas.html.


Common Name: Spotted Seahorse

Scientific Name: Hippocampus kuda


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Syngnathiformes

Family: Syngnathidae

Geography / Habitat: The Spotted seahorse can be found in the Indo-Pacific region. They

range from Australia to China. Spotted seahorses live in shallow inshore areas. They also live in

mangroves, coastal seagrass beds, estuaries, coastal bays and lagoons, harbors, and sandy

sediments in rocky littoral zones.

Life Strategy: Spotted seahorses breed all year long and spawn every 20 to 28 days. Females can

lay 20 to 1000 fertilized eggs. 100 to 200 will actually survive to become juveniles. The unusual

thing about seahorse reproduction is that females produce the eggs but the male births and

cares for them. Once the babies are born, they are completely independent. Spotted seahorses

use camouflage to prevent predation. Even so, humans are their biggest predators. Their

natural predators are loggerhead turtles, tunas, skates, rays, and crabs also feed on seahorses.

Food / Feed Strategy: Seahorses are carnivorous ambush predators and use their thick snout to

suck in prey. They feed on zooplankton, small crustaceans, and larval fishes.




Citation: Hashikawa, M. and W. Fink. 2004. "Hippocampus kuda" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hippocampus_kuda.html.


Common Name: Beluga Whale

Scientific Name: Delphinapterus leucas



Family: Monodontidae

Geography / Habitat: Beluga whales can be found in arctic and sub-arctic waters of Canada,

Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and the Soviet Russia. Belugas live in fjords, channels, bays, and

the shallow waters of the arctic seas.

Life Strategy: Belugas breed once every 2 to 3 years. Breeding occurs from late February

through early April. Once a female is pregnant, she carries her calf for 14 months on average. A

calf can be a year to 2 years old when they leave their mother. Polar bear and killer whales are

the biggest predators of Belugas. Humans used to hunt them also, but now it’s not as common.

Food / Feed Strategy: Belugas are carnivorous. They eat smelt, flatfish, flounder, sculpins,

salmon, and cod. They also eat invertebrates and bottom dwelling creatures. Because Belugas

don’t have teeth to tear prey apart with, they eat everything whole. They have to ensure that

what they’re eating isn’t too large.




Citation: Williams, S. 2002. "Delphinapterus leucas" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Delphinapterus_leucas.html.


Common Name: Goblin Shark

Scientific Name: Mitsukurina owstoni



Family: Mitsukurinidae

Geography / Habitat: Goblin sharks can be found in the bays of Japan, off New Zealand,

southern Africa, and in the Eastern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. They are so scattered because

they were found in Japan but have been spread throughout the world. They live in the mid and

deep-water zones on the outer edge of continental shelves and slopes.

Life Strategy: There is virtually no information on the breeding habits of Goblin sharks. They

are very rare to see in the wild, especially alive, so no one has been able to study them. Most

species of sharks are independent as soon as they’re born, so we can assume Goblin sharks are

no different. The only known predators of these sharks are Japanese fishermen.

Food / Feed Strategy: Goblin sharks have a combination of electrical sensors that heightens its

sense of smell. It has very poor eyesight which suggests that they feed in deep water and near

the bottom. Stomach records that researchers do have, have shown parts of fish, squid, crabs,

and ostracods.




Citation: Bizer, S. 2004. "Mitsukurina owstoni" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 14, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Mitsukurina_owstoni.html.


Common Name: Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Scientific Name: Caretta caretta


Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines

Family: Cheloniidae

Geography / Habitat: Loggerheads are found in almost all the world’s temperate and tropical

oceans: in the Atlantic Ocean they range from Newfoundland to Argentina, in the Indian Ocean

from southern Africa to the Arabian Gulf of western Australia, the Mediterranean Sea, and the

Pacific Ocean they range from Alaska to Chile and Australia to Japan. Where they live changes

throughout their life time. Hatchlings return to the sea and prefer rocky or muddy substrate

instead of sandy ones. They are also found near coral reefs and salt marshes.

Life Strategy: Female Loggerheads can mate year round every 2 to 4 years but spawning peaks in

May and July. A female will nest 3 to 5 times during the breeding season and she can lay 110 to

130 eggs in each nest. It will take eggs 45 to 80 days to hatch, depending on incubation

temperature. There is no post-parental care once the eggs are laid.

Food / Feed Strategy: Loggerheads are omnivores. They feed on algae and vascular plants. They

also eat crustaceans because they have such massive, powerful jaws. They also eat other

invertebrates like jellyfish, shrimp, sponges, fish and fish eggs.




Citation: Duermit, L. and J. Harding. 2007. "Caretta caretta" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Caretta_caretta.html.


Common Name: Rough-toothed Dolphin

Scientific Name: Steno bredanensis



Family: Delphinidae

Geography / Habitat: This dolphin can be found along the coasts of Kaua’I, Ni’ihau, and

O’hau of the Hawaiian Islands. Also, the Mediterranean Sea, the Sicily Channel, Tahiti,

Moorea, and the Windward Islands. They live in shallow and deep ocean water, but prefer the

deep ocean.

Life Strategy: There is little information on the breeding habits of Rough-toothed dolphins in

the wild. With captive breeding, we do know that it takes about 2 months for a calf to become

independent of its mother. There are no known predators of this dolphin. There have been

reports of shark bites but none are actually eaten. They are occasionally caught in fish nets.

Food / Feed Strategy: Rough-toothed dolphins are carnivorous. They feed on silverside, saury,

needlefish, mahimahi, and squid. They will dive to great depths to eat cephalopods and large

fish. As their name suggests, these dolphins have rough teeth that they use to tear their prey

apart. They feed in groups for predatory efficiency.




Citation: Greenwood, j. 2011. "Steno bredanensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Steno_bredanensis.html.


Common Name: Redththroated Rainbowfish

Scientific Name: Coris aygula



Family: Labridae

Geography / Habitat: The rainbowfish can be found primarily near Eastern Africa and Southern

Asia. They range from Comores, Madagascar, and Maldives. They are also found near Southern

Japan. They range from the Ryukyu Islands, the Bonin and Ogawawara Islands, and South to the

Lord Howe and Rapa Islands. They live in rocky and coral reefs.

Life Strategy: When spawning season begins, wrasses will gather in many, small groups with one

male overseeing many females. They will spawn along the outer edge of a reef patch. In more

extensive reef complexes, fish will spawn along the outer slope. Many large fish and sharks prey

on this fish. Their bright coloration allows it to blend with the surrounding coral.

Food / Feed Strategy: Wrasses are carnivores. They feed on mollusks, hermit crabs, other crabs,

and sea urchins.




Citation: Lehto-Jacobs, J. 2003. "Coris aygula" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 14, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Coris_aygula.html.


Common Name: Roughtail Stingray

Scientific Name: Dasyatis centroura


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Rajiformes

Family: Dasyatidae

Geography / Habitat: Roughtails can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic

Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, bay of Biscay, and Angola. They range from the coast of Massachusetts to

brazil in the Atlantic. Roughtails live in benthic and marine environments with sandy bottoms. In

summer they are closer to shore and in winter they go as far as the continental shelf, but not beyond.

Life Strategy: There is little information on the breeding habits of Roughtails, but we do know they

are polygynous and they practice internal fertilization. They generally spawn in Autumn or early

winter. When a female is pregnant, she carries the baby around for an average of 4 months. Females

can have 2 to 6 offspring in a litter. Once they are born, baby stingrays are independent. Sharks are

the biggest predator of the ray. It escapes predation y burying itself in the sand or mud.

Food / Feed Strategy: Roughtails are opportunistic carnivores. They will eat whatever they can find.

They eat crustaceans, cephalopods, bony fish, and polychaete worms.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Ostraciform


Citation: Brown, E., J. Pasquarella and M. Thompson. 2011. "Dasyatis centroura" (On-line), Animal


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dasyatis_centroura.html.


Common Name: Greenland Shark

Scientific Name: Somniosus microcepalus


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Squaliformes

Family: Dalatiidae

Geography / Habitat: Greenland sharks can be found in the north Atlantic. They range from the

coast of New England and Canada to the Scandinavian waters. They’ve been occasionally spotted

in the mouth of the Seine River in France. They live on continental and insular shelves.

Life Strategy: There is little information on the breeding habits of these sharks but like most other

species of shark, there are scars on female caudal fins, which suggests that the male does so until

the female submits. Fertilization occurs internally. It is though that like other sharks, the pups are

born independent. There are no known predators of Greenland sharks due to their large size.

Food / Feed Strategy: Greenland sharks are carnivores. They feed on fish, marine mammals, and

carrion. Specifically, they eat herring, cod, halibut, seals, and small whales.




Citation: Mills, P. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Somniosus microcephalus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Somniosus_microcephalus.html.


Common Name: Zebra Shark

Scientific Name: Stegostoma fasciatum


Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Orectolobiformes

Family: Stegostomatidae

Geography / Habitat: Zebra sharks live in the central, western and Indian Pacific oceans. It is

abundant on Australian coastal waters. It lives mainly over continental and insular shelves and

is common around coral reefs and sandy bottoms.

Life Strategy: Breeding frequency in this species is not known but they do breed year-round.

Females will lay 2 to 7 eggs with the average being 4. In captivity, it took about half a year of

incubation for the sharks to hatch, which believed to be the same amount of time in the wild.

Once the sharks are born, they are immediately independent. Humans and other large sharks

are the only predators of this species.

Food / Feed Strategy: Like most other sharks, these are carnivores. They feed on small fish,

shrimp, crabs, and mollusks.




Citation: Organisms and Populations, P. Rasmussen and J. Reum. 2005. "Stegostoma fasciatum" (On-

line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 14, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Stegostoma_fasciatum.html.

Title: Freshwater Fish Species #: 51

Common Name: Freshwater Drum

Scientific Name: Aplodinnotus grunniens



Family: Sciaenidae

Geography / Habitat: They can be found in the western banks of the Appalachian Mountains as

far west as Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Their range extends from the Hudson Bay to the

southern range in the Rio Usumacinata Basin of Guatemala. They are a benthic species that like

silty to rocky substrates.

Life Strategy: Freshwater drum breed seasonally in open water. Spawning take place between

May and June. One female can produce 40,000 to 60,000 eggs which float to the surface of the

water. It takes about 2 to 4 days for the eggs to hatch and a few more days for them to develop

enough muscle to swim back down. Humans are a big part of predation in freshwater drum.

Food / Feed Strategy: Freshwater drums are carnivorous. They feed on insects, small fish,

mollusks, and aquatic crustaceans. They have pharyngeal teeth that help them feed on snails.




Citation: Sluss, A. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Aplodinotus grunniens" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Aplodinotus_grunniens.html.


Common Name: River Blackfish

Scientific Name: Gadopsis marmoratus



Family: Gadopsidae

Geography / Habitat: River Blackfish can be found in southeastern Australia. They are found

north and south of the Great Dividing Range. They live in low-velocity lowland rivers with lots

of shelter.

Life Strategy: The spawning season begins in either late spring or summer. Eggs are externally

fertilized and laid in logs or man-made structures. A female can lay about 300 eggs in a single

breeding session. Both the male and female have been documented caring for the eggs during

development. Due to such low offspring numbers, they must ensure the maximum survival of

offspring. Juveniles stay in covered, shallow waters to prevent predation. Adult Blackfish go

into deeper water because they are not prey anymore.

Food / Feed Strategy: River Blackfish are carnivorous, ambush predators. They feed on insects,

mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, terrestrial invertebrates, and that fall into the water.

Terrestrial insects make up the majority of the Blackfish diet.




Citation: LeBlanc, P. 2011. "Gadopsis marmoratus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gadopsis_marmoratus.html.


Common Name: Longear Sunfish

Scientific Name: Lepomis megalotis



Family: Centrarchidae

Geography / Habitat: The Longear Sunfish can be found exclusively in North America. They

are found primarily in the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds. They range from

Minnesota east to Ontario, Ohio and western Pennsylvania southward through the Mississippi

basin to the Gulf states of Mexico. They live in clear streams with clay or gravel hard bottom

and in or near vegetation.

Life Strategy: Spawning will begin from late May to late August. A female can lay 100 to 3,000

eggs. Once a female has released the eggs, the male will chase her out of his nest. He then cares

for the eggs until they hatch 2 to 7 days later. He guards the nest vigorously against other males

and predators. The biggest predator to the Sunfish is the largemouth bass. Sunfish use

vegetation, low light, and deep water to escape and hide from predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sunfish mostly eat aquatic insects, microcrustaceans, fish eggs, young

bass, and young sunfish. They have been known to follow hognose suckers who stir up sediment

and potential prey when they move around pebbles.




Citation: Mullaney, M. 2003. "Lepomis megalotis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 14, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepomis_megalotis.html.


Common Name: Razorback Sucker

Scientific Name: Xyrauchen texanus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cypriniformes

Family: Catostomidae

Geography / Habitat: Razorbacks can be found in the Colorado River system from

southwestern Wyoming to southeastern California. A razorback lives in flooded areas in the

spring and in eddies in during the winter.

Life Strategy: Razorbacks breed once per year with the peak being in the spring and summer.

Spawning may take place in mainstreams, riverine-influenced impoundments, and wave-

washed shorelines. A large group will form and when a female leaves it, then that means she is

ready to spawn. One or more males will follow her. There does not seem to be any parental care

once the eggs are laid. Fish, birds, mammals, and even some insects prey on Razorbacks.

Food / Feed Strategy: As larvae, Razorbacks feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton. As

adults, they feed on planktonic crustaceans, diatoms, filamentous algae, and detritus.




Citation: Langstaff, L. and W. Fink. 2004. "Xyrauchen texanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Xyrauchen_texanus.html.


Common Name: Shovelnose Sturgeon

Scientific Name: Scaphirhynchus platorynchus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acipenseriformes

Family: Acipenseridae

Geography / Habitat: Sturgeons can be found in the Missouri and Mississippi river basins. This

ranges from Montana to south to Louisiana, and from Pennsylvania west to New Mexico. Sturgeons

are bottom-dwellers and prefer to live in high turbidity in large waters.

Life Strategy: Females do not spawn every year, and frequency is influenced by food supply and fat

storage. The breeding season typically lasts from April to early July. One female can produce about

50,000 eggs in a breeding season. Within 5 to 8 days, the eggs hatch. When they do, they become

completely independent. Larger fish prey on juvenile sturgeons. Once they are full-grown, man

becomes the biggest predator.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sturgeons are opportunistic feeders. They feed on insects, mussels, worms and

crustaceans. They use their barbells to detect prey and use their sucker type mouth to pick up the

food.




Lord, K. and W. Fink. 2004. "Scaphirhynchus platorynchus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Scaphirhynchus_platorynchus.html.


Common Name: Greenside Darter

Scientific Name: Etheostomata blennioides



Family: Percidae

Geography / Habitat: Greenside darters can be found in the few major watersheds of North

America. It ranges from New York and the Potomac River drainage west to Kansas and south to

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. Darters are benthic and spend their lives

associated with the substrate.

Life Strategy: The breeding season is from April to June. A female can lay 2 to 192 eggs. She

lays them right above algae where it will attach to the rock, where they will remain until they

hatch. It will take 19 days for the eggs to hatch, until then the male will guard them. Once they

hatch they are independent. Small mouth bass, different kinds of trout and mergansers are the

biggest predators of Darters. They prevent predation by “freezing” in the water. During the

breeding season, males change to a bright green color that blends in with the algae.

Food / Feed Strategy: Darters feed on benthic insects. Insect larvae, mayflies, and stoneflies.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Amiiform


Citation: Graham, S. and W. Fink. 2004. "Etheostoma blennioides" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Etheostoma_blennioides.html.


Common Name: Ganges River Dolphin

Scientific Name: Plantanista gangetica



Family: Plantanistidae

Geography / Habitat: The Ganges river dolphin can be found in southern Asia in the Ganges

and Indus rivers. They live in tributaries that flow through hills and lowlands. They prefer

areas that create counter-currents such as small islands and river beds. During the monsoon

season, river dolphins occupy tributaries and go back to larger rivers in the winter time.

Life Strategy: River dolphins breed all year long. Most females give birth from October to

March with the peak being in December and January. They are pregnant for about 8 to 12

months with it typically being 10. A female will give birth to a single baby and within 2 to 12

months, she will begin to wean them. Once the offspring has been successfully weaned, they will

go off and become independent. Besides humans, these dolphins are considered top predator.

Food / Feed Strategy: River dolphins are carnivorous. They eat catfish, carp, herring,

freshwater sharks, prawn, and mollusks. They use their speed and flexible neck to catch prey.

Their body allows them to swim fast in shallow water and their long snout and flexible neck

allow them to search the river bottom for potential prey. They have poor sight; therefore, they

also use echolocation.




Citation: Swinton, J., W. Gomez and P. Myers. 2009. "Platanista gangetica" (On-line), Animal


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Platanista_gangetica.html.


Common Name: Fathead Minnow

Scientific Name: Pimephales promelas



Family: Cyprinidae

Geography / Habitat: Minnows can be found in the Nearctic region. They range as far north as

Quebec to Alberta in Canada and their southern range extends to Alabama, Texas, and New

Mexico. They have also been introduced in Europe, Germany, UK, Puerto Rico, and Iran.

Fatheads live in small rivers, ponds, headwaters and creeks. They can also tolerate water

conditions that most other fish can’t.

Life Strategy: Fatheads are polygynandrous and spawn between May and September. Females

can produce 1,000 to 10,000 eggs in a single breeding season. Once a female has laid her eggs in

a male’s nest, he chases her away. He is then left to care for the eggs by himself. It takes about 4

to 5 days for all the eggs to hatch, and once they do they are on their own. Predators of the

Fathead include largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, and walleye. They can release a

substance into the water to alarm other fish that a predator is nearby.

Food / Feed Strategy: Fatheads are opportunistic omnivores. They can be characterized as filter

feeders because they sift through mud and silt to get to food. While sifting, they find an

abundance of algae and protozoan. They also feed on diatoms, filamentous algae, small

crustaceans, and insect larvae.

Body Form or Style: Compressifom



Citation: Sommer, A. 2011. "Pimephales promelas" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Pimephales_promelas.html.


Common Name: Macquarie Perch

Scientific Name: Macquaria australasicq



Family: Percichthyidae

Geography / Habitat: Macquarie is found exclusively in Australia. They are found primarily in

the Murray-Darling basin in New South Wales. They prefer living in deep, rocky pools in rivers

and streams. They favor cool, clear, slow-moving water.

Life Strategy: Breeding occurs from the end of October through early November. They breed

yearly and usually return to the same river. Females release their eggs in fast-moving water with

rocky bottoms. When the eggs are released, they stick to the gravel until they hatch 10 to 18 days

later. There is no post-parental care because the larvae get carried away by the current

downstream. Predators include redfins, rainbow trout, and the Australian bass.

Food / Feed Strategy: Their diet consists of aquatic invertebrates such as caddislfy, stonefly and

mayfly species. Adults feed at the bottom of lakes and rivers and juveniles eat water fleas, water

mites, and rotifers by sucking them up in their mouths.




Citation: Kosakowski, L. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Macquaria australasica" (On-line), Animal


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macquaria_australasica.html.


Common Name: Longnose Dace

Scientific Name: Rhinichtys cataractae



Family: Cyprinidae

Geography / Habitat: Long dace can be found in North America. They range from the Atlantic

coast to the Pacific coast and from northern Mexico to the Arctic Circle in northern Canada.

They live in cold, fast-flowing water. Most populations are found in stream riffles. They prefer

gravel substrates over sandy ones.

Life Strategy: Longnose dace are polygynandrous and one male will have multiple females come

into his territory to spawn with him. Females usually spawn once per year but can have up to 6

clutches in one session. They can have 1,155 to 2,534 eggs. It takes 3 to 4 days for the eggs to hatch

and once they do they are completely independent. Longnose dace’s biggest predators are fish-

eating bird and larger fish like the salmonid species.

Food / Feed Strategy: Longnose dace are nocturnal feeders. They have dark-adapted vision for

night foraging and their barbels to probe around in the substrate in search of food. They feed on

bottom dwelling insects such as mayflies, black flies, and small cicadas.




Citation: Duby, K. 2011. "Rhinichthys cataractae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rhinichthys_cataractae.html.


Common Name: Smallmouth Bass

Scientific Name: Micropterus dolomieu



Family: Centrachidae

Geography / Habitat: The Smallmouth bass natively inhabits the Great Lakes and the St.

Lawrence drainages from southern Quebec and New Hampshire to North Dakota, and the

Mississippi River drainage as far south as Alabama. It has been introduced in many countries

around the world and is still surviving today. Smallmouths live in cool river and lakes with

rocky or sandy substrates.

Life Strategy: Spawning usually occurs between March and May. A female will enter a male’s

nest and begin a courting dance. A female can lay up to 2,000 eggs. Once spawning is complete,

the female will be chased away and the male will care for the eggs. 4 to 6 days later the eggs

hatch, but the fry will remain in the nest for two more weeks before leaving the nest.

Smallmouths bass are predators themselves, but can be eaten by other fish, turtles, and birds.

Food / Feed Strategy: Fry and juveniles feed primarily on zooplankton and insect larvae. Adults

have more diversity, their diet includes: crayfish, amphibians, insects, other fish, and even

cannibalism (eating the young of other parents).




Citation: Whitlock, J. and W. Fink. 2004. "Micropterus dolomieu" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Micropterus_dolomieu.html.


Common Name: Burbot

Scientific Name: Lota lota


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gadiformes

Family: Lotidae

Geography / Habitat: Burbot can be found in the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. They live at

the bottoms of lakes with cold, slow-moving water. They prefer freshwater but can be found in

brackish water.

Life Strategy: Burbots breed once a year during winter and will move into smaller streams to

spawn. They lay their eggs in shallow water so they may rest on the bottom and hatch there in

the spring. A female can produce 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 eggs with the average being 750,000.

Burbots are broadcast spawner which means there is no parental care invested in the

development of eggs. In 2 to 4 months, the eggs will have hatched and will be independent.

Burbot must rely on their cryptic habits and coloration for protection against predators like the

northern pike.

Food / Feed Strategy: Burbots are piscivorous, although their diet changes with the season. In

early summer they are found to eat aquatic crustaceans and opossum shrimp in the fall. Inert

materials have also been found in the stomachs of Burbot such as rocks, wood chips, and plastic,

indicating that Burbot are indiscriminate.




Citation: Jacobs, G. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Lota lota" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lota_lota.html.


Common Name: Brook Trout

Scientific Name: Salvelinus fontinalis


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Salmoniformes

Family: Salmonidae

Geography / Habitat: Brook trout can be found as far south as Georgia in the Appalachian

mountain range and as far north to the Hudson Bay. Brook trout have been introduced in the

following places: new Zealand, western North America, South America, Asia, and parts of

Europe. Brook trout live in rivers, lakes, and marine areas.

Life Strategy: Brook trout spawn in late summer or autumn. They spawn in areas with loose,

clean gravel in shallow riffles or shoreline area. Only one male may mate with a female; before

they do, the female will dig a pit to deposit the eggs in. The eggs are adhesive and will incubate

in the pit until they are ready to hatch.

Food / Feed Strategy: Brook trout will eat almost anything that will fit into their mouths

including mostly aquatic insect larvae such as caddisflies, mayflies, and midges. They also eat

worms, leeches, crustaceans, spiders, fishes, frogs, salamanders, and snakes.




Citation:Roberts, J. 2000. "Salvelinus fontinalis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 17, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Salvelinus_fontinalis.html.


Common Name: Channel Catfish

Scientific Name: Ictalurus punctatus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Siluriformes

Family: Ictaluridae

Geography / Habitat: Channel catfish can be found in the Nearctic in lower Canada and

throughout the mid-west of the United States. They can live in freshwater, saltwater, and

brackish water but are found generally in freshwater. They live in rivers, lakes, reservoirs,

ponds, creeks and streams. They can live in water with sandy, gravelly, and rocky bottoms but

they prefer muddy ones.

Life Strategy: Channel catfish are monogamous and mate during the summer. They make

hidden nests and the eggs will stay there for 4 to 10 days until they hatch. After spawning

occurs, the female will be chased away but not completely. Both parents protect their offspring

vigorously. It will take half a week to 4 for the offspring to become independent.

Food / Feed Strategy: When channel catfish are adults, they are more carnivorous as opposed to

the omnivorous juveniles. Juveniles eat large varieties of plants and animals. An adults’ diet

consists of the yellow perch and sunfish, snails, algae, snakes, frogs and insects.




Citation: Schoonover, D. and W. Fink. 2004. "Ictalurus punctatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ictalurus_punctatus.html.


Common Name: Brown Bullhead

Scientific Name: Ameiurus nebulosus



Family: Ictaluridae

Geography / Habitat: They are native to the freshwater habitats Canada and the United States.

They range from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Mobile Bay, the Great Lakes, and the

Hudson Bay. They live in slow-moving runs of creeks, rivers, reservoirs, ponds, and lakes.

Life Strategy: Bullheads are monogamous and breed during the spring and early summer. One

parent or sometimes both will build nests at the bottom of water; a nest can contain 50 to 10,000

eggs. Eggs are demersal and one or both parents will guard them until they hatch. It takes

about a week or two for the eggs to hatch and another full week before the parents will let the

fry leave the nest. Northern pike, walleye, snapping turtles, herons, and water snakes are

predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bullheads are opportunistic omnivores. Juveniles will feed in zooplankton

and insect larvae. Adults feed on insects, small fish, fish eggs, mollusks, plants, leeches, worms,

and crayfish.




Citation: Guth, R. 2011. "Ameiurus nebulosus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ameiurus_nebulosus.html.


Common Name: White Bass

Scientific Name: Morone chrysops



Family: Moronidae

Geography / Habitat: They can be found from southern Canada to northeastern Mexico. They

are primarily located in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river drainages. White bass live in

large bodies of water. They prefer areas with little turbidity and where the substrate is clean

and no vegetation.

Life Strategy: Breeding occurs from March through May. Females can lie up to and even over

half a million eggs. Females will swim upstream and lay her eggs while males follow behind,

releasing their sperm. The eggs are adhesive; they attach to the bottom of the substrate for

about 2 days until they hatch. White bass are preyed on by many predatory fish, including their

own kind.

Food / Feed Strategy: Larval bass feed on zooplankton. Juveniles feed on macro-invertebrates

such as insect larvae. Adults become piscivorous and begin feeding on fish such as minnows,

shad, sunfish, and the yellow perch.




Citation: Morgan, T. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Morone chrysops" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Morone_chrysops.html.


Common Name: North African Catfish

Scientific Name: Clarias gariepinus



Family: Clariidae

Geography / Habitat: North African catfish can be found in north and south Africa. They have

also been introduced in Europe, the Middle East, and in parts of Asia. They live in lakes, ponds,

pools, rivers, rapids, and around dams. Catfish are bottom dwellers and can live in very turbid

waters.

Life Strategy: They breed in summer. They migrate to shallow, flooded grassy areas on the

edges of lakes and rivers to spawn. Females will then lay their eggs in the vegetation. They are

broadcast spawners. This species is preyed on widely. Man is the biggest along with leopards,

crocodiles and birds.

Food / Feed Strategy: Catfish are omnivores. They are not particular; they feed on insects,

plankton, snails, crab, shrimp and other invertebrates. They have even been known to eat dead

birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.




Citation: Gunder, H. and W. Fink. 2004. "Clarias gariepinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Clarias_gariepinus.html.


Common Name: Pirate Perch

Scientific Name: Aphredoderus sayanus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Percopsiformes

Family: Aphredoderidae

Geography / Habitat: Pirate perch are found exclusively in North America. They can be found

in the lowlands of and surrounding areas of Ozark, in lakes and pools east of the Mississippi

River and as far south as eastern Texas. Perch live in clear, warm water with low currents.

They like to live near or in dense vegetation, woody debris, root masses and undercut banks.

Life Strategy: Breeding occurs once a year during spring. A female can lie from 100 to 400 eggs

per batch. Perch spawn in root masses; females will release their eggs while males gather

around to have a chance of fertilizing them. Further research is needed to determine how long

they will take to hatch and parental care.

Food / Feed Strategy: Perch are carnivorous. They feed on aquatic insects, small crustaceans

and small fish. Salamanders, large fish, piscivorous birds, otters and mink are all predators of

this fish.




Citation: Miner, M. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Aphredoderus sayanus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Aphredoderus_sayanus.html.


Common Name: Logperch

Scientific Name: Percina caprodes



Family: Percidae

Geography / Habitat: Logperch are found only in North America. They range from the St.

Lawrence River and Great Lakes, to the Hudson Bay and Mississippi River, to the Gulf of

Mexico drainages. Logperch live in the shallow waters of rivers and creeks. They prefer sand

and gravel substrate.

Life Strategy: Logperch breed during spring and summer. They spawn fast-moving streams

with sand or gravel substrates. Logperch are broadcast spawners, however, females bury the

eggs in the sand or gravel and the males will fertilize them after she is done. Logperch are more

of prey than predators, they are most often prey of larger fish and piscivorous birds.

Food / Feed Strategy: Juveniles feed on rotifers, copepods, and waterfleas. As they grow, they

incorporate aquatic crustaceans into their diet.




Citation: Spalding, W. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Percina caprodes" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Percina_caprodes.html.


Common Name: Largemouth Bass

Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides




Geography / Habitat: The Largemouth bass can be found in eastern North America. They live I

quiet, clear water with dense vegetation. They usually stay in the shallow areas.

Life Strategy: Largemouth bass breed annually in the spring months. Males build nests to

attract females. Once the two have spawn, the female will lay her eggs in his nest. A female will

have about 3,000 eggs. It takes about 3 to 4 days for the eggs to hatch and once they have, they

will remain in it for at most a month. Once a month is up, the fry will be independent. Yellow

perch, northern pike and muskellunge are the biggest predators of young bass. When they are

adults, they are usually able to escape these predators, except for humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: As fry and juveniles, they feed on zooplankton and aquatic insects. When

they mature, their diet shifts into eating crayfish and other fish species.




Citation: Curtis, R. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Micropterus salmoides" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Micropterus_salmoides.html.


Common Name: Brook Stickleback

Scientific Name: Culaea inconstans


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gasterosteiformes

Family: Gasterosteidae

Geography / Habitat: Sticklebacks can be found in the Arctic and Atlantic drainages from

Nova Scotia, northern parts of Canada, Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Sticklebacks

live in the shallow edges of cool, clear lakes and creeks. They can live in sandy, muddy, or rocky

substrates.

Life Strategy: Sticklebacks breed yearly from mid-April to late June. The male will build a nest

and once he is through, he will call for a mate. The female can lay almost 100 to almost 200

eggs; it will take one or two weeks for all of the eggs to hatch. The male will protect them and

his territory until they hatch. In one or two days he will leave the fry to fend for themselves.

Sticklebacks have dorsal spines that make them appear bigger and harder to swallow to deter

predators. Piscivorous brids and larger fish are predators to this fish.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sticklebacks are mostly carnivorous feeders on aquatic invertebrates,

larvae, and crustaceans. Algae make up the smaller portion of their diet.




Citation: 2011. "Culaea inconstans" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 18,

2011 at

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Culaea_inconstans.html.


Common Name: American Paddlefish

Scientific Name: Polyodon spathula

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordat

Class: Actinopterygii Order: Acipenseriformes

Family: Polyodontidae

Geography / Habitat: Paddlefish can be found in 22 states that are part of the Mississippi River

drainage. They have also been introduced to the lower Danube River in Europe as sportfish.

Paddlefish are a freshwater species but can survive in brackish water. They live in large rivers

with deep water and prefer rocky or sandy substrate. They also like turbid water.

Life Strategy: Paddlefish breed every 2 to 3 years in late winter and spring. Paddlefish are

broadcast spawners and females can lay thousands of eggs at once. Females prefer rocky or

sandy substrate because the eggs are sticky. The eggs will remain on the substrate for about 5

days before they hatch; there is no parental care invested into the offspring. Birthing an

abundance of paddlefish is a strategy of paddlefish due to the fact that many birds and fishes

prey on the larvae stage of paddlefish; as adults, their only predators are humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Paddlefish are carnivores, specialized in filter feeding. They have

electroreceptors to detect zooplankton in the turbid water. They feed on copepods, cladocerans,

and ephemeropteran nymphs.




Citation: Jerome, J. and W. Fink. 2004. "Polyodon spathula" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Polyodon_spathula.html.




Citation:Elliott, S. and K. Wehrly. 2005. "Lepidosiren paradoxa" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepidosiren_paradoxa.html.


Common Name: South American Lungfish

Scientific Name: Lepidosiren paradoxa


Class: Sacropterygii Order: Lepidosireniformes

Family: Lepidosirenidae

Geography / Habitat: Lungfish can be found in the neotropics of South America, they include:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. They live in

South America, primarily in the Amazon River basin. They prefer to live in water that is stagnant,

such as swamps or a lake.

Life Strategy: More research is needed on: egg development, number off eggs laid, and gestation

period. Lungfish prefer to breed during the rainy months so they can build nests in flooded areas.

Both parents build the nest while the male protects it. There is no research on predators of this

species.

Food / Feed Strategy: Lungfish are carnivores that feed on bony fish, algae and weeds, shrimp,

insects, clams, and snails. Lungfish capture prey by suction. They use tooth plates, an enlarged

cranial rib, and a depressor mandibulae to manipulate and chew food rather than swallowing.


Common Name: Alligator Gar

Scientific Name: Atractosteus spatula


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Semionotiformes

Family: Lepisosteidae

Geography / Habitat: Alligator gar can be found in the Ohio river and Mississippi River south

of the Gulf of Mexico. They are found in parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee,

Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They live in large lakes, rivers, and bayous. They can live in

freshwater and brackish water.

Life Strategy: Alligator gars breed once a year from May to July. Females can lie on average

77,000 eggs. The eggs are adhesive and will stick to the substrate until 6 to 8 days later when

they hatch. Once the eggs are born, they are independent. Young gars are preyed on by larger

fish. As adults, their only predators are alligators and humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Alligator gars are carnivorous opportunistic and sit-and-wait predators.

Gars are usually calm but can use short bursts of speed to catch prey. They eat almost anything,

including ducks, fish, turtles, small mammal and carrion.




Citation: Roberts, D. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Atractosteus spatula" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Atractosteus_spatula.html.


Common Name: Alligator Snapping Turtle

Scientific Name: Macrochelys temminckii


Class: Reptilia Order: Testunides

Family: Chelydridae

Geography / Habitat: Snapping turtles are found in North America. They range from northern

Florida to southern Georgia and through the Gulf states into Texas. They live in the southeastern

U.S. in freshwater areas. They live in the deepest parts of any body of water including rivers,

lakes, swamps and canals.

Life Strategy: Snapping turtles breed once a year in spring. Females will come onto land and

build a nest to lay their eggs in the sand. A single clutch can have 8 to 52 eggs. It will take 100 to

140 days for the eggs to hatch. There is no post-parental care once the eggs have been covered;

when the eggs hatch, they are completely independent. There are no known predators of adult

snapping turtles except for humans.

Food / Feed Strategy: Snapping turtles are scavengers and active hunters. They are nocturnal

hunters, but eat during the day also. They lay at the bottom of the water with their mouth wide

open and their tongue acting like a fish lure, once a fish gets too close to its mouth, it will snap. It

will snap the fish in half or impale it on its sharp upper and lower jaws. They feed on fish,

mollusks, snakes, frogs, aquatic plants, and medium-sized mammals.




Citation: Nichols, M., J. Pruitt, D. Munsey, G. Good, B. Meyer, K. Urban, K. Francl and P.

DiLaura. 1999. "Macrochelys temminckii" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December

18, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macrochelys_temminckii.html.


Common Name: Golden Shiner

Scientific Name: Notemigonus crysoleucas



Family: Cyprinindae

Geography / Habitat: Golden shiners are found in North America. They range from the Atlantic

drainage basin from Nova Scotia to southern Texas, the Great Lakes basin and the Mississippi

river drainage basin. They live in lakes, rivers, ponds, swamps, and creeks that are heavily

vegetated. They prefer stagnant water.

Life Strategy: Golden shiners breed from May through August. They spawn in or above

vegetation because the eggs are adhesive. Golden shiners will spawn a few times during the

spawning season and can have up to 200,000 eggs each time. It will take 4 to 7 days for the eggs to

hatch; there is no parental care after birth. Any large species of fish will prey on shiners, they

form large schools to decrease individual predation.

Food / Feed Strategy: Golden shiners are omnivorous and planktivores. They feed primarily on

zooplankton, phytoplankton and microcrustaceans.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Labridae


Citation: Sims, J. and K. Wehrly. 2006. "Notemigonus crysoleucas" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Notemigonus_crysoleucas.html.


Common Name: Banded Sculpin

Scientific Name: Cottus carolinae



Family: Cottidae

Geography / Habitat: Sculpin can be found in fourteen states in the southeast and mid-west.

They live in any size river or stream but prefer cool to warm water with gravel substrate.

Life Strategy: There is no information on the breeding systems of Banded sculpin. Sculpins

prefer to spawn underneath objects so the eggs will be deposited in a large clump. They breed in

winter and early spring. On average, a female will produce 475 eggs. She leaves the male to care

and guard the eggs. Sculpins have a coloration that resembles the river substrate. Kingfishers,

Great Blue Herons and water snakes are primary predators of the sculpin.

Food / Feed Strategy: Sculpin are invertivores and piscivores. They are nocturnal hunters and

they stalk or ambush their food by using their cryptic coloration. They feed on fish, aquatic

crustaceans, insects and amphibians.




Citation: Clark, J. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Cottus carolinae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cottus_carolinae.html.


Common Name: Silver Carp

Scientific Name: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix



Family: Cyprinidae

Geography / Habitat: They are native to eastern Asia and northeastern Asia and Siberia. They have been

introduced into other parts of the world, including the U.S. They live in freshwater with temperate to

subtropical temperatures.

Life Strategy: Carp reproduce during the spring or summer. They are broadcast spawners; females can

carry as many as 2 million eggs. Females release their eggs in the water column with males following. The

males will follow behind a female in order to fertilize the eggs with his sperm. Soon after the eggs have

been release, males and females will leave the area and parental care will be non-existent. Adult carp

have no natural, though fry can be preyed on by larger fish and piscivoruos birds.

Food / Feed Strategy: Silver carps are filter feeders that feed on primarily phytoplankton. Using their

specialized gill rakers they can filter out even the smallest of organisms. They feed on zooplankton,

detritus, arthropods and algae.




Citation: Ancevski, F. 2011. "Hypophthalmichthys molitrix" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hypophthalmichthys_molitrix.html.


Common Name: Amazon River Dolphin

Scientific Name: Inia geoffrensis



Family: Iniidae

Geography / Habitat: The Amazon River dolphin can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco river

basins as well as tributaries in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. They live

in lakes, rivers and streams.

Life Strategy: River dolphins breed once a year between June and August. A female will have one

calf and will be pregnant with it for almost a year. A mother and her calf have unusually strong

bonds; this is supported by the evidence of long lactation periods. There are no known natural

predators of this dolphin, though bull sharks, anacondas, black caimans and jaguars could all

harm them.

Food / Feed Strategy: Amazon river dolphins have the most diverse range of fish species in their

diet than any other dolphin. They usually hunt alone but will hunt in groups if there is a large

school of fish. They feed on fish, aquatic crustaceans, and even reptiles.




Citation: Bebej, R. and P. Myers. 2006. "Inia geoffrensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Inia_geoffrensis.html.


Common Name: Redear Sunfish

Scientific Name: Lepomis micrlophus




Geography / Habitat: Redear Sunfish are native to central and southern U.S. They can be

found in the St. Lawrence, Great Lakes and Mississippi River. They live in warm, stagnant

waters with moderate amounts of vegetation.

Life Strategy: Redear breed once a year from early spring to mid-summer. A male will make a

nest out of sand, mud and gravel. Sunfish can produce 9,000 to 80,000eggs per mating season.

Females will lay the eggs and leave, while the male stays and waits for every egg to hatch before

he leaves. Humans are the biggest predators of this species because they are sportsfish.

Food / Feed Strategy: Redear sunfish are mainly bottom feeders. Fry feed on algae and

microcrustaceans. Juveniles eat insects, insect larvae and small snails. Adults feed on snails,

aquatic insects, copepods, and crustaceans.




Citation: Barbee, J. 2011. "Lepomis microlophus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepomis_microlophus.html.


Common Name: Sheatfish

Scientific Name: Silurus glanis



Family: Siluridae

Geography / Habitat: The sheatfish is native to Eastern Europe and Asia, while it was

introduced in Germany, France, Spain, England, Greece, Turkey and the Netherlands. They

live in large rivers and lakes in deep water near dams. They sometimes enter brackish waters in

the Black and Baltic Sea.

Life Strategy: Sheatfish breed once a year during the spring from May through June. Males

will make nests so the female can lay her eggs in it. The female will then leave and the male

guards them until they hatch. It will take 3 to 10 days for all of the eggs to hatch and once they

do, they are independent. Humans and northern pike are their main predators due to their size.

Food / Feed Strategy: Fry will feed on plankton. When they get bigger, they begin to eat more

diverse food like worms, snails, crustaceans, aquatic insects and small fish. As adults, they

incorporate ducks, voles, eels, frogs and snakes into their diet. They catch prey by suction.




Citation: Slone, C. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Silurus glanis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Silurus_glanis.html.


Common Name: Bloater

Scientific Name: Coregonus hoyi


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Salmoniformes

Family: Salmonidae

Geography / Habitat: Bloaters are native to the Great Lakes basin of North America where it

can be found in all except Lake Erie. Today the population is declining in these lakes. Bloaters

live in are benthic and pelagic regions of lakes. During the day they are near or on the bottom

and when nighttime approaches, they move up the water column.

Life Strategy: Bloaters breed year round but it peaks from February to March. A female can

produce anywhere from 3,000 to 12,000 eggs with 7,500 being the average. Spawning can occur

anywhere for these fish. There is no parental care invested in eggs after they’ve been laid.

Samlonids are currently the biggest predators of this fish.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bloaters eat bottom dwelling plankton, copepods, fish eggs and fingernail

clams.




Citation: Wyns, D. 2002. "Coregonus hoyi" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 19, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Coregonus_hoyi.html.


Common Name: Electric Eel

Scientific Name: Electrophoris electricus


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Gymnotiformes

Family: Electrophoridae

Geography / Habitat: Electric eels can be found in the northeastern parts of South America.

This includes the Guyanas and Orinoco Rivers as well as the middle and lower Amazon basin.

They live on the muddy bottoms of rivers and occasionally swamps. They prefer deeply shaded

areas.

Life Strategy: Electric eels breed during the dry season. The female will lay her eggs in a nest

built out of the male’s saliva. On average, a female will produce 1,200 eggs. They are thought to

be fractional spawners. It is the male’s job to guard the eggs. An eel will give predators a voltage

of 650 which doesn’t kill them, but prevents predators from continuing their meal.

Food / Feed Strategy: Electric eels give off a weak electric pulse to detect potential prey, once

they have found something; they use a much stronger current to shock the prey into immobility.

Eels don’t have maxilla teeth, so they suck the prey into their mouth. Adults feed on small fish

while juveniles feed on crustaceans.

Body Form or Style: Taeniform



Citation: Valasco, T. 2003. "Electrophorus electricus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Electrophorus_electricus.html.


Common Name: Florida Gar

Scientific Name: Lepisosteus platyrhincus



Family: Lepisosteus

Geography / Habitat: Florida gars are found only in America. They range from the Savannah

River drainage in Georgia to the Ocklockonee River in Florida and Georgia. They live in low land

streams, canals and lakes with mud or sand substrates. They prefer areas with large an

abundance of vegetation.

Life Strategy: Gars breed once a year from February to April. Many males will follow a female

during the spawning season. She lays her adhesive eggs among the vegetation and rocks and

males will pursue for a chance of fertilizing them. There is no parental care involved because the

parents swim downstream once breeding is complete. Coloration, armor-like scales and sharp

teeth are natural defenses against predators. Piscivorous birds are their biggest predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Gars are carnivores that use the strategy of ram feeding. They position

themselves laterally of their prey and strike, and then they manipulate and reposition the food so

it will go down headfirst. They feed on fish, shrimp and crayfish. Young gar feed on zooplankton,

insect larvae and small fish.




Citation: Lackey, S. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Lepisosteus platyrhincus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepisosteus_platyrhincus.html.


Common Name: Rainbow Darter

Scientific Name: Etheostoma caeruleum



Family: Percidae

Geography / Habitat: The Rainbow darter is found only in North America. They range from

the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley down to northern Alabama and out west to Missouri

and Arkansas. They live in shallow, fast-moving creeks and small rivers. They prefer gravel or

rocky bottom subtrates.

Life Strategy: Rainbow darters respond to appropriate water temperatures before breeding

which is between 17-18 degrees C. A female and male will mate together above the substrate

numerous times until the female has laid about 800 eggs with about 3-7 eggs each session. It will

take a little over a week for the eggs to hatch; there is no parental care.

Food / Feed Strategy: Rainbow darters feed on aquatic insect larvae, small snails and crayfish.

They also feed on fish eggs and caddisfly larvae. However, feeding habits depend on time of day

and year.




Citation: Marko, K. 2003. "Etheostoma caeruleum" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed

December 19, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Etheostoma_caeruleum.html.


Common Name: Bleeding Heart Tetra

Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Characiformes

Family: Characidae

Geography / Habitat: They are native to the neotropical region. They can be found in the Rio Negro of

Brazil, upper Amazon River basin and other regional rivers. They live in inland, tropical freshwater

streams and rivers where vegetation is dense.

Life Strategy: Most information on the breeding habits of Tetra comes from aquarium breeding.

Spawning begins over vegetation because the eggs are adhesive. There appears not to be any parental

care invested into the eggs after they are laid. There is no research on predation in tetra due to their

popularity in aquariums.

Food / Feed Strategy: In captivity they eat small crustaceans, insects, zooplankton and other organic

matter. Researchers believe there should not be any change to this in the wild.




Citation: Eng, S. and K. Francl. 2006. "Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Hyphessobrycon_erythrostigma.html.


Common Name: Spotted Gar

Scientific Name: Lepisosteus oculatus



Family: Lepisosteus

Geography / Habitat: Spotted Gar can be found in the U.S. They range from Lake Michigan to

the Lake Erie drainages. It can also be found in the Mississippi river drainages and the northern

coast of the Gulf of Mexico from the Nueces River in Texas east to the lower Apalachicola River

in Florida. Gar live in shallow open water or in stagnant backwaters. They also prefer basking

in areas with lots of cover.

Life Strategy: Gar breed once a year from February to June. Males will gather near a female

who waits in vegetation to lay her eggs. Once she has laid them, she will give a cue for males by

splashing the surface of the water. When males see this, they go to fertilize the eggs. Females can

lay thousands of eggs at once. There is no parental care once they have been lain and fertilized.

It will take about a week before they hatch. There are not many natural predators of this kind of

gar except for other gar.

Food / Feed Strategy: Gar carnivorous ambush predators. They feed mainly on crustaceans,

sunfish, crappies, bass and catfish. They use vegetation to their advantage by hiding in it and

ambushing their prey, although, it wouldn’t matter if they had cover or not.




Citation: Hall, L., T. Meade, D. Paulette, J. Albert, K. Francl and S. Givinsky. 1999.

"Lepisosteus oculatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 19, 2011

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepisosteus_oculatus.html.


Common Name: Bowfin

Scientific Name: Amia calva


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Amiiformes

Family: Amiidae

Geography / Habitat: Bowfins can be found in North America. They range from the upper St.

Lawrence River in Quebec and Ontario, and as far south as Southern Texas and Florida. They

range from the east coast and west into South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and central

Oklahoma. They live in backwaters of rivers, lakes and swamps. They also live in ditches, pits

and pools of slow streams. They prefer clear water with lots of vegetation.

Life Strategy: Bowfins breed once a year from late April to early June. They prefer water that

is shallow and vegetated. A male will make his nest by clearing away a little vegetation and a

slight depression in the substrate. More than one female will lay her eggs in the depression.

Once the eggs have been laid and fertilized, the female will leave to lay eggs in other nests while

the male guards the eggs. In 9 days, all of the eggs will have hatched, and they will take on the

behavior of adults. Bowfin have few natural predators like alligators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Bowfins will eat anything but they consume primarily, insects, fish,

crustaceans and amphibians. They eat by suction feeding.




Citation: Emerson, A. and W. Fink. 2004. "Amia calva" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Amia_calva.html.


Common Name: Northern Pike

Scientific Name: Esox lucius


Class: Actinopterygii Order: Esociformes

Family: Esocidae

Geography / Habitat: Northern Pike are native to North America and Eurasia. They range from

Labrador west to Alaska, south to Pennsylvania, Missouri and Nebraska. They are found in

western and northern Europe, south to Spain and east to Siberia. They live in almost every type of

freshwater, from cool deep lakes to warm shallow ponds to muddy rivers.

Life Strategy: Pikes come to shallow water to spawn. Spawning lasts 5 to 10 days then the female

leaves. The males remain in the area but do not protect the eggs.

Food / Feed Strategy: Northern pike are carnivores. They have sharp teeth and a complex skull

and jaw structures. They feed on smaller fish, frogs, crayfish, small mammals and birds.




Citation: Lefevre, R. 1999. "Esox lucius" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December

19, 2011 http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Esox_lucius.html.


Common Name: Quillback Carosucker

Scientific Name: Carpiodes cyprinus



Family: Catostomidae

Geography / Habitat: Quillbacks can be found throughout much eastern North America. They

range from here, as far north as Saskatchewan, south to Florida and as far west as South

Dakota, Kansas and Alabama. They prefer to live in productive streams that are deep and

clear.

Life Strategy: Quillback breed once a year in the spring through summer months. Males and

females quickly migrate to breeding areas and haphazardly scatter eggs in shallow water over

rock, sand and mud substrates. There is no parental care once eggs have been laid. Quillbacks

are independent almost immediately after hatching. Adults are rarely preyed on because of

their size and schooling, but due to eggs being out in the open, they are much more vulnerable

to foraging predators.

Food / Feed Strategy: Quillbacks are omnivores. They feed at the bottoms of lakes, river and

streams. They feed on insect larvae, fingernail clams and aquatic vegetation.


Swim / Locomotion Style: Subterminal


Citation: Ervin, M. and S. Harrel. 2006. "Carpiodes cyprinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Carpiodes_cyprinus.html.

Fish I.D. Project

Documents

Transcript of Fish I.D. Project