One Fish, Two Fish

Fishes of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico will be used to demonstrate the concept that “form follows function” in the animal kingdom. Students will learn about these fish by handling preserved specimens. The focus will be on what makes a fish a fish. The students will learn about what the head, body, and tail shapes of fish tell us about what fish eat, where they live and how fast they swim.

Students will have an opportunity to create “new fish” by rolling three dice to design a new fish using the head of one fish, the body of another and the tail of a completely different fish! There will be a discussion about what this new fish might like to eat, where he might live and if this fish is a fast or slow swimmer. All of this will be done to reinforce the concepts taught with the preserved specimens.

Students will learn fish characteristics, about the fish found in Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and handle preserve specimens. Then, they will have the chance to design a new fish species.

Keywords to review: Fish Characteristics, Vertebrate, Invertebrate