Bony Fish Body Plans

Threre are three major body types in bony fish: Fusiform, Compressed, and Depressed.

I used Tinkercad software to build a digital 3D-model of each type.

A Fusiform body plan is streamlined, elongated laterally, with a long, muscular tail. This body type is helpful for predators to catch their prey, and for prey to try and escape. A good example of this would be a Sailfish (Istiophorus albicans).

A Depressed body plan is squahed vertically, like a pancake. This is advantageous to benthic dwellers, such as Hogchokers (Trinectes maculatus), who need to be able to grab food from the sea floor, and to hide from predators.

A Compressed body plan is flattened laterally, and is useful for maneuverability. and for hiding in tight spaces, like in a coral reef. One example is the Angelfish (Pterophyllum sp.)

Here are all 3 shapes together from several angles, for comparison.