Wow, Fish!

Written by Pamela Hornbuckle

Lion Fish (image from Free stock photo)

Welcome to the e-book about "Fish." I'm so glad you could join us today. As you read this book, you will have three coaches to help you along the way. Pedro the Penguin will help you figure out the meaning of any bold face vocabulary word you don't understand. Hali the lizard will help you sound out any underlined word just by clicking on her at the bottom of the page. Monty the Dog will help you with text features, or pictures, diagrams, and more. So if you have any questions, please make sure you click on the coaches.

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Table of Contents

What is a Fish? 4

What are the parts of a fish? 5 - 6

Are there different kinds of fish? 7 - 9

Where do fish live? 10

Who are predators of fish? 11

How do fish protect themselves? 12 - 15

Do fish have babies? 16

Fish Trivia 17 - 19

Conclusion 20

Cool Resources about Fish & Other

Sea Creatures 21

References 22

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What is a fish?

A fish is a vertebrate animal that lives in water. That means fish have backbones. Fish live, breathe, and eat in the water.

Did you know that a group of fish is called a school?

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What are the parts of a fish?

Fish have gills that help them to breathe oxygen just like your lungs help you breathe oxygen. The body of a fish is usually covered with scales and slime to help it move easily through the water.

Diagram of a Fish's gills. Fish use gills to breath oxygen just like your lungs help you breathe.

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This is a diagram showing some of the parts of a fish.

Fish don’t have arms or legs like people. Instead, they swim from place to place using their fins. Do you see the fish in the diagram? This fish has many fins that helps it move through the water. Just as you can run very fast, fish can dart through the water very quickly. They can also move very slowly.

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Are there different kinds of fish?

There are many different kinds of fish! Sharks are one kind of fish. They are carnivores, which means they eat meat. Little fish have to be very cautious when sharks are near them because the little fish are prey for sharks. Sharks like to eat other fish, just like you enjoy eating dinner.

This is a picture of a shark. He eats meat including other fish.

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The picture on the top is of a tilapia fish. It is a herbivore because it eats plants like the sea grass in the picture at the bottom.

Some fish are herbivores. Tilapia are herbivores because they only eat the plants found in their habitat.

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This is a school of tunas. They are omnivores.

Tuna fish can grow very big. They live in the ocean. Tuna fish eat plants and other fish, so they are omnivores.

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This is a photograph of a stream.

Where do fish live?

Some fish live in salt water, such as oceans. Other fish live in fresh water, such as streams, rivers, and lakes. These bodies of water do not have salt. Some people's pet fish live in aquariums so they can watch and enjoy their fish.

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Who are predators of fish?

Fish have predators, which are people or other animals that eat them for food. Some fish eat other fish. Bears eat fish. Even some people eat fish. Do you like to eat a nice fish dinner?

People hunt and eat fish. People are predators of fish.

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How do fish protect themselves?

Some fish hide when they are in danger. Clown Fish hide in their sea anemone. A sea anemone is an animal that lives in water on the ocean floor, or at the bottom of the ocean. It looks like a big colorful plant, but it protects the Clown fish by stinging other water animals that don’t belong there. It also closes around the Clown fish to hide it from its predators. It’s just like when you go into your home and close the door. You are protected from danger. The sea anemone is a safe place for the Clown fish to live. It is the Clown fish’s home.

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Some Fish protect themselves by swimming in schools. These are not like the school you go to. A school of fish is another way of saying a group of fish. If they stay together, all of them will not be caught and eaten.

This is a school of fish. They travel together to stay safe.

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Can you tell where the fish is? He’s camouflaged to protect himself from predators.

Some fish camouflage themselves. That means they blend in with the colors of the plants and other things around them so their enemies can’t see them. Hiding is one great way fish protect themselves.

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These colorful fish look very beautiful, but watch out! They might be very poisonous!

Other fish are poisonous. If a fish eats these poisonous fish, they could die. Their beautiful colors warn their predators to STAY AWAY! This is how these fish protect themselves.

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This is a picture of fish eggs. Do you see the baby fish inside? They will hatch when they are big enough.

Do fish have babies?

Fish lay eggs. They watch over their eggs until they hatch, or break open so that the baby fish can come out when all of their body parts have grown and they are big enough to survive in their habitat. A habitat is the place where they live, kind of like a fish’s neighborhood.

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This is a miniature seahorse. It is a fish because it breathes through its gills in the water.

Fish Trivia

You’ve learned a lot about fish today. Here are a few trivia questions for you. Can you guess the correct answers based on what you read? Have fun!

Is this seahorse a fish?

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Yes, this seahorse is a fish! It breathes through its gills in the water. It is a different kind of fish because it has a neck and a long tail to help it swim.

Last question: Are jellyfish really fish?

Here is a picture of a group of jellyfish. Do you see their long tentacles? They sting their prey to catch and eat them.

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Here are pictures of three different colored jellyfish.

Jellyfish are not fish. They do not use gills to breathe, nor fins to swim with. Instead, they have tentacles (which look like long strings) for swimming and protection. They are a different kind of water animal.

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Conclusion:

Fish are very interesting water animals. There are different kinds of fish, such as carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. They live in water habitats, such as salt water (oceans and seas) and fresh water (rivers, lakes, and streams). Fish protect themselves in many ways from their predators. To keep the life cycle going, they lay eggs which hatch into beautiful new fish!

I hope you enjoyed reading and learning about fish today! If you want to learn more, click on the next page for a few links to videos, activity pages, and other resources of fun fish facts!

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Cool Resources about Fish and Other Sea Animals!

Left click on the link, then click on open hyperlink if it does not open when you click on it the first time.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/jellyfish/#jellyfish-tentacles.jpg (Information about jellyfish)

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/fish.html (Information about fish)

https://youtu.be/p2MoXON8lNI (Video of clownfish in their habitat)

http://www.kidzone.ws/sharks/facts2.htm (Information about sharks)

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References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuna

https://kidskonnect.com/animals/fish/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/jellyfish/#jellyfish-tentacles.jpg