Locomotion In Fish2

To overcome water resistance and to enable

them to move quickly, fish have streamlined shape. Anterior of fish is smooth and rounded. The body is long and tapers toward the end. Scale that covered the skin is to reduce water resistance.

Forward movement The muscle of the fish consist of muscle

blocks called myotomes. Both side of vertebral column is anchored by myotome. The tail is swept from side to side to bend the body on either side alternately and produce a thrust that propels the fish forwards. The sweeping of the tail is due to the contraction and relaxation of the myotomes that act antagonistically.

Balancing the body The function of fins is to maintain the balance

of the body during swimming. The paired fins consists of the pectoral fins and the pelvic fins. This paired fins help the fish to overcome pitching. The unpaired fins consists of one dorsal fin and one ventral fin and one caudal fin or tail. Dorsal and ventral fins help the fish to stay on course without yawing.