Basic Fish Anatomy – "What the heck is a Peduncle?!"
April 4th, 2007 | 
Author: I’ve read too many articles by ardent fish hobbyists to not have
to know the basics of fish anatomy. If you own a fish or would
like to and ever want a conversation with someone who understands
the animal then it will probably help for you to understand these
terms of fish anatomy.
This guide is basically for anyone interested in knowing the
labels of the basic body parts of a fish; the “heads, shoulders,
knees and toes” of the animal.
So without further ado, let’s get to it:
The Operculum – Latin for “little lid” the operculum is the flap
of skin that covers the gills and may move when the fish is
breathing. It is what generally marks the end of a fish’s head
and the beginning of its body. If enflamed it will flare (remain
open) and this may be a sign that your fish has a parasite.
The Dorsal Fin – The dorsal fin follows the line of your fish’
back and is mainly for stability. It is also used by your fish in
turning. Some fish will have dorsal spines that are used for
protection in the wild. Often there is a second dorsal fin to a
fish.
The Adipose Fin – This is not found on many fish but if you have
a catfish you will be able to see it. It is a very small find
behind the dorsal fin.
The Caudal Fin – This is the large fin at the back, the
fish-tail.
The Caudal Peduncle – A peduncle is a mass of tissue that joins
something to the body so the caudal peduncle is the bit nearest
the body that joins the caudal fin. See, that wasn’t so hard, was
it!
Anal Fin â” This is just what it sounds like; fins near the fish’s
anus.
Pelvic Fin – This fin should be on the bottom of the fish fairly
near below the operculum. They are used for direction and
turning.
Pectoral Fin – If your fish has one it will be located on the
side, just behind the operculum.
OK now that we’ve covered the basics of the outside, I am going
to describe a little of what is inside your fish. Don’t worry;
we’re only covering the absolute basics.
Swim Bladder – One thing that fish have that we don’t. It is a
gas filled sac that the fish uses to control its depth in the
water. When it wants to descend in the water it simply empties
its swim bladder of air. It has expandable walls so that it can
fill to allow air in for surfacing.
Gonads – These are basically the testicules or ovaries of your
fish and they are both located inside of it. When the time is
right they either secrete sperm or ova.
Teeny Tiny Brain – Look at any cross-section of a fish’s body and
you will see that the brain really is tiny in comparison with its
body and the relative size of ours. This has led some people to
come to the inclusion that fish cannot feel pain and yet we know
that they have memories of up to three month and can be reliably
trained.
Anyway, I hope you have found this article to be of some use to
you.
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