The Perch
Perch Virtual Dissection Lab : Hillary Huang
Perca
Perches are in the class Actinopterygii. They belong in the king don Animalia under the Phylum Chordata and the Sub-phylum Vertebrata. The perch is usually long and round with rough scales on its body. The maxilla is located on the anterior side of the head and the lower mandible consists of the mouth, nostrils, and two lidless eyes. On the posterior sides, the operculum can be found. The operculum is the bony flap that protects the gills. They have pectoral and pelvic fins and two dorsal fins . The first dorsal fin is spin and the second one is soft; these fins can either be joined or separated.
Background Information
Perches are usually found in small ponds, lakes, or rivers and these are carnivorous fish that prey on smaller fish or insect larvae. That organisms that feed or prey on the perches would be a lake trout or the large mouth bass. Perches do not have a niche at the moment since they're not in the wild. A few adaptations of a perch would be the mocous, fins, gills, and so on. Mocous helps the perch escape faster, fins help the perch swim, and the gills help the perch breathe underwater.
Circulatory System
The circulatory system of a perch is a low pressure single type system that consists of a heart that has one atrium and ventricle. The deoxygenated blood is pumped through the heart and then to the gills. After this process, it is then oxygenated and sent back through the body of the perch. When the perch breathes, you may see lines at where the blood goes through. This shows that they need their blood to breathe.
The liver is also part of the circulatory system. After the small intestines pass on nutrients to the liver, the liver than sends nutrients throughout the body. The digestive and circulatory systems work together to distribute nutrients throughout the body.
Today's Objective
In this lab, you will learn about the external and internal structures of a perch. Find the different organs in the perch that is related to the circulatory systems and take notes of where each organ is located.
Perch labels
In this photo, you can see the Perch labels and what each structure is.
Gills
These were the gills found above the heart and under hard flaps known as the operculum.
Perch organs
You can see the organs of the perch laid out next to the perch and on the paper towel.
Perch ( Before)
The perch before the dissection.
Perch ( During)
As you can see, the perch has many organs and a lot of muscle near the bones. The heart is located underneath or near the gills.
Bony Fish (Perch) Anatomy