Iowa Fish
What
is a fish? Fish are animals that live their lives in water. Fish are
cold-blooded, which does not mean that their blood is cold but rather that
their body temperature changes with the temperature of the water around them.
Fish are also vertebrates - they have a backbone and an internal skeleton made
of cartilage or bone.
Since
fish are animals they must breathe oxygen just like other animals - but how do
they breathe oxygen under water? With their gills! Gills make it possible for
fish to breathe oxygen under water by absorbing the dissolved oxygen in water.
Fish
also have fins and scales. Fins are how fish move around in the water.
Different fish have different fin shapes and sizes. Scales cover fish and
protect them. Most fish have scales but some, like catfish, are covered with
tough skin.
There
are 148 species of fish in Iowa.
Creature
Feature – Green Sunfish (Lepomis
cyanellus)
Green
sunfish are small sunfish growing no more than 7 inches in length. They have a
heavy body that is blue-green on the sides and back with a yellow or white
belly. The sides of green sunfish head’s are spotted with emerald and yellow
streaks. The flap on the gill cover is edged with white or yellow. They have a
large mouth with the upper jaw reaching to about the middle of their eye. Green
sunfish usually have whitish or yellow-orange leading edges on their fins.
Green
sunfish live in streams, lakes, wetlands, and ponds throughout Iowa. They are
often found in water bodies that have lower water quality where other sunfish
cannot survive. Green sunfish eat insects, fish, worms, and crayfish.
Green
sunfish spawn, or mate, in June. The male constructs the nest. After the female
lays the eggs the male will stay with them until they hatch in 3 to 6 days.
Fishing Fun!
Use
Growing Up WILD’s “Fishing Fun!” to
explore fishing with young children! By engaging in dramatic play children will
learn about fish and the basics of fishing. Using stick poles children fish for
paper fish.
Growing
Up WILD: Fish Information Sheet
More Ideas!
Set
up a small aquarium in your classroom so children can watch how fish move and
breathe.
After
exploring fish and fishing with “Fishing Fun!” plan a fishing fun day for your
students. Utilize parent helpers, community help, and contact your local County
Conservation Board Naturalist for supplies, locations, and assistance.
OR
plan a trip to a local aquarium or pet shop to observe different species of
fish.
Fish
for your snack! Use pretzel sticks for “poles” and dip for “bait” and “fish”
for fish-shaped crackers. Dip pretzel sticks in dip and use the dip on the end
to pick up fish crackers. How many fish can you catch with one “cast”?
Books List
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Amdahl,
P. 2000. The Barefoot Fisherman: A Fishing Book for Kids. Clearwater
Publishing.
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Arnosky,
J. 1993. Crinkleroot's Twenty-five Fish Every Child Should Know. Simon
& Schuster Children's Publishing.
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Bryan,
J. et al. 2007. Take Me Fishing: 50 Great Writers on Their Favorite Sport.
Skyhorse Publishing.
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Burger,
C. 1960. All About Fish. Random House.
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Cook,
B. 2005. The Little Fish that Got Away. HarperCollins.
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Gallimard,
J. 1998. Fish. Scholastic.
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Heinrichs,
A.R. 2003. Fish. Coughlan Publishing.
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Klein,
A. G. 2008. Fishing. ABDO Publishing Company.
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Long,
E. 1987. Gone Fishing. Houghton Mifflin.
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Parker,
S. 2005. Fish. DK Publishing, Inc.
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Pastel,
J., K. Fitzsimmons and L. VanDeWeghe. Bur Bur's Fishing Adventure: An
Exciting Fishing Adventure. IGI Press.
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Pfeffer,
W. 1996. What's it Like to be a Fish? (Let's Read-and-Find-Out Science 1).
Harper Trophy.
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Prosek,
J. 2004. A Good Day’s Fishing. Simon and Schuster Children’s
Publishing.
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Quigley,
M. 2007. Granddad’s Fishing Buddy. Dial.
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Schaefer,
L.M. 2001. What Is a Fish?. Coughlan Publishing.
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Sill,
C. 2005. About Fish: A Guide for Children. Peachtree Publishers.
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Wells,
E. 2006. Wishing I was Fishing. Beaver’s Pond Press.
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Links
IDNR:
Fishes of Iowa
IDNR:
Taking Kids Fishing
For
factsheets, activity sheets and MORE visit:
IDNR: Education – Classroom
Resources (go to the Document Library at the bottom of the page for fact sheets
and activity sheets!)
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