Fishes with different mouth shapes eat different types of food.
Inquiry:
How does mouth shape and structure help a fish eat its food?
Guiding Questions:
How do the different fish mouth structures help it function to eat?
Activity:
Channel your inner fish! Use tools to model the structures of fishes' mouths—and then try to capture your prey!
Fish versus fishes:
The word fish refers to one fish or to a group of fish of the same species. The word fishes refers to multiple species of fish. For example, 1 convict tang is a fish, 2 convict tangs are fish, and a group of 20 convict tangs are also fish. However, a convict tang together with a moray eel would be fishes.
Fig. 2. Example materials for the ʻCruncher Station.ʻ
Image copyright and source
Image by Emily Sesno
Station 1: The Cruncher (Fig. 2)
Hard cookies (i.e. Nilla Wafers) Healthy option: apples
Chopsticks
Tongs
Spoons
Blunt-tip pliers
Image
Image caption
Fig. 3. An example ʻPickerʻ station.
Image copyright and source
Image by Emily Sesno
Station 2: The Picker
Egg carton (pre-cut dime size holes in each cup bottom and in between some cups)
Gummy Worms Healthy option: snap-pea crisps or string beans
Needle-nose pliers
Blunt-tip pliers
Large tongs
Popsicle sticks
Toothpicks
Image
Image caption
Fig. 4. Possible station set up for the ʻPoint-of-Viewers.ʻ
Image copyright and source
Image by Emily Sesno
Station 3: The Point-of-Viewers
Oreos Healthy option: apple slice sandwhiches with nut butter
Large gummy rings (i.e. Peach O-Rings) Healthy option: dehydrated apple rings
Paper Towels
String or yarn
Station 4: The Sucker
Tub of water
Raisins
Large spoon
Pippette
Bulb sucker (from ear cleaning kit or baby nose kit)
Turkey baster
Eye dropper
Procedure:
Set up the feeding stations according to the materials list above.
Read the station cards and instruction sheet.
Practice 'feeding' using the tools and food items at each station.
Record your observations on your worksheet.
Activity Questions:
What are the mouth features of each type of fish (cruncher, picker, Point-of-viewer, sucker)?
What kind of food do each of these fish eat (cruncher, picker, Point-of-viewer, sucker)?
How do the structure of the fishes' mouth features function to help them eat their specific foods?
How did your investigation help you understand more aobut how the different fishes eat?
(Optional) Look through your fish ID guide and find another example of each type of fish based on the structure of their mouth and what they eat (cruncher, picker, Point-of-viewer, sucker).
Further Investigation
Complete the activity sheet to create a guide to different types of fishes and their eating behaviors!
Teacher Tip:
To reduce workload, assign individuals or groups to research some of the fish and then combine research to create a class guide.
Exploring Our Fluid Earth, a product of the Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG), College of Education. University of Hawai?i, 2011. This document may be freely reproduced and distributed for non-profit educational purposes.
Original SEA Activity 'Hungry Reef Fish'