Ray-finned Fish
- Comments
-
Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 1,000 specimens of ray-finned fish, mainly preserved in spirit. These date from 1847 to 2007.
This collection contains more than 800 specimens in spirit, about 60 casts, 25 mounts and 160 dried specimens, including 130 otoliths (ear bones) and a few skeletal preparations. The majority of specimens come from Scottish freshwater or coastal waters, and off the west coast of Scotland in the north-east Atlantic. There are also specimens from Burma, Guyana, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Greenland, the USA, the Netherlands, Iceland, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, New Zealand and off north-west Africa. The collection includes many significant deep-water specimens, mainly collected off the west coast of Scotland during cruises by the research vessels RRS Challenger and Walther Herwig in the 1970s. Unusual specimens include the ‘Endrick Pike’ (the head of a very large pike) from Loch Lomond, and the ‘sword’ of a marlin embedded in the sailing ship Royal Archer's timbers and copper plating in 1844.
About ray-finned fish
Ray-finned or bony fish, the class Osteichthyes, all have a bony skeleton, paired fins and a swim bladder. They account for most of the living species of fish and are divided into 45 orders. - Broader term
- Staff Contact