Most fish have seven or eight fins to help them maneuver through the water
A SWIMMER S BODY s you sit at the end of a dock you spot a fish While watching it swim in the current you realize something A fish's body was created for life in water Most fish are pointed long and narrow This streamlined shape allows fish to easily move through water A fish's tail is the caudal fin It paddles from side to side moving the fish forward To go backward a fish uses its pectoral and pelvic fins These paired fins work together They can move the fish forward up or down They're also the brakes A fish uses them to stop A fish has unpaired fins too The large spiny fin running down its back is the dorsal fin This stiff fin keeps the fish upright fish also Some 9
