The life of a Perch
Perch Dissection Vu-PAP Bio-4 Melissa Barbosa
Perca Flavescens
Perch are north temperate fish mostly found in lakes or large rivers, Perch also have a high tolerance for low oxygen conditions. Young perch generally inhabit shallower water than larger ones, though as temperature increases all move to cooler, deeper water. Adult yellow perch are usually golden yellow; young are usually more whitish. There are 6 -- 8 dark vertical bars on the sides of these fish. Their eyes are green to yellow. They have a spiny dorsal fin with 12 -- 14 spines and a second dorsal fin with 12-13 soft rays plus 2-3 spines.
Objective:
Students will be able to examine the internal and external anatomy of a perch, and observe the placement of organs and their relationship to one another.
Perch Life Cycle
Can live up to 8-12 years,
Habitat
One reason yellow perch are so prevalent in state waters is that they are a very tolerant fish.
Predators
A relatively slow swimmer, yellow perch are an important prey for many predator fish like walleye, bass, northern
pike and muskellunge.
Circulatory System
The circulatory, or blood vascular, system consists of the heart, the arteries, the capillaries, and the veins. It is in the capillaries that the interchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and other substances such as hormones and waste products takes place. The capillaries lead to the veins, which return the venous blood with its waste products to the heart, kidneys, and gills. There are two kinds of capillary beds: those in the gills and those in the rest of the body. The heart, a folded continuous muscular tube with three or four saclike enlargements, undergoes rhythmic contractions and receives venous blood in a sinus venosus.It passes the blood to an auricle and then into a thick muscular pump, the ventricle. From the ventricle the blood goes to a bulbous structure at the base of a ventral aorta just below the gills. The blood passes to the afferent (receiving) arteries of the gill arches and then to the gill capillaries. There waste gases are given off to the environment, and oxygen is absorbed. The oxygenated blood enters efferent (exuant) arteries of the gill arches and then flows into the dorsal aorta. From there blood is distributed to the tissues and organs of the body. One-way valves prevent backflow.
It passes the blood to an auricle and then into a thick muscular pump, the ventricle. The ventricle t
It passes the blood to an auricle and then into a thick muscular pump, the ventricle. The ventricle t
Interesting Facts
There are more than 6,000 species
Have over 150 families
Can grow on a average of 10-20 inches.