David-+Osteichthymes

=__**Osteichthymes (a.k.a. Bony Fish)- by David Kauffman**__= Cold-blooded vertebrates that breath through gills.


 * Kingdom**: Animalia
 * Phylum**: Chordata
 * Class**: Osteichthymes


 * Body Plan:** Osteichthymes have torpedo-shaped bodies that enable them to swim with the least amount of resistance. The fins allow mobility, stability, and maneuverability. The mouth enables the bony fish to take in oxygen via its gills. Bony fish have a general fusiform body design.
 * Germ Layers:** Endoderm, Mesoderm, and Ectoderm germ layers. Mouth and anus formed during embryonic gastrulation. Notochord formed during development as well.
 * Symmetry:** Bilateral Symmetry
 * Coelomate:** Contains a coelom


 * Habitat:** Adapted for aquatic environments.
 * Movement:** Fins allow for coordinated movement through aquatic environment.
 * Skeletal System:** Composed of bone. Cartilage is extended off of the skeletal structure.


 * Evolutionary Advancement:** Osteichthymes introduce the precursors to lungs. They also have evolved to have jaws.


 * Special Adaptations:** Osteichthymes have a special swim bladder which helps maintain buoyancy.


 * Feeding Patterns:** Many are carnivores, most tend to be herbivores. Bony fish tend to prey on other vertebrate animals, using their teeth and jaws to eat them.

by counter-current exchange.
 * Respiration:** Gas exchange occurs when surrounding water is drawn through the mouth and across the gills. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are diffused through the gills


 * Circulation:** Closed system with two chambered heart.
 * Excretory:** Digestive system that consists of an esophagus, a stomach, intestines, and an anus. Bony fish are hypo-osmotic compared to their environment, therefore they loose water to their surroundings. Maintains osmotic balance by excreting excess salts and drinking water.


 * Nervous:** Vertebrate nervous system, which contains a central nervous system with a spinal cord protected by a vertebral column. Integrates many sensory components including vision, hearing, smell, and taste. Contains small olfactory lobes for smell, large optic lobes for enhanced vision. Bony fish have a lateral line that runs down their body that contains neuromasts that sense vibrations in their environment.

fertilizes the eggs.
 * Reproduction:** Reproduction via external fertilization. Females contain a single ovary where eggs are produced and then spawned. Males produce milt which


 * Other Pictures:**





[] [] [] [] []
 * Bibliography:**

http://www.nhptv.org/wild/images/perch.jpg http://www.infovisual.info/02/img_en/033%20Internal%20anatomy%20of%20a%20bony%20fish.jpg http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/ftp/BIODIDAC/ZOO/VERTEBRA/DIAGBW/OSTE004B.GIF http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/jristvedt/Animal-Diversity/Osteichthyes_2 http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Fish/Banded/DSCF0040b.jpg http://www.naturephoto-cz.eu/pic/ceteri/acipenser-ruthenus-20547.jpg
 * Picture URLS:**