Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/20/2011 - 09:07
Forums
Biology of Antarctic Fishes

HI, my name is Anna Aristarkhova. I am a student from Mr. Goldner's 7th grade class at the Heath School in Brookline. I have a question for you : What did the ice fish evolve from to get their heads to be translucent?

Sat, 05/21/2011 - 06:33

Paula Dell

Hi Anna,All of the Antarctic fish have a high percentage of cartilage (versus bone) in their skeleton. The icefish have an even higher percentage. The translucent skulls are an example of paedomorphosis which means that this was a trait that they were born with but never fully developed. Great new word for you there. If you look up the word roots you will find paedo - indicates young or child (like the doctor you go to is a pediatrician, a doctor that specializes in children's health). Morpho refers to the structure of the body. They did not evolve from an animal that was translucent, they just were born with this and it never changed. Hope that makes sense. Say hi to Mr. Goldner for me!
Ms. Dell