Definitions for gas bladder

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word gas bladder


  1. gas bladder(Noun)

    An internal organ that fish use to control their buoyancy, allowing them to maintain or change depth by changing their density.


  1. Swim bladder

    The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of a fish to control its buoyancy, and thus to stay at its current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming. Also, the dorsal position of the swim bladder means the center of mass is below the center of volume, allowing it to act as a stabilizing agent. Additionally, the swim bladder functions as a resonating chamber, to produce or receive sound. The swim bladder is evolutionarily homologous to the lungs. Charles Darwin remarked upon this in On the Origin of Species. Swim bladders are found in many bony fish, but are not found in cartilaginous fish. In the embryonic stages some species, such as redlip blenny, have lost the swim bladder again, mostly bottom dwellers like the weather fish. Other fish like the Opah and the Pomfret use their pectoral fins to swim and balance the weight of the head to keep a horizontal position. The normally bottom dwelling sea robin can use their pectoral fins to produce lift while swimming. The cartilaginous fish do not have swim bladders.


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"gas bladder." STANDS4 LLC, 2015. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. < bladder>.

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