Ichthyology: A Laboratory Manual

This laboratory manual includes exercises on using dichotomous keys, carrying out basic phylogenetic analysis, and learning comparative anatomy of jawless, cartilaginous, and bony fishes.

This laboratory manual grew out of a set of exercises I developed over my years of teaching ichthyology. I developed them originally because there was no laboratory manual available that provided my students with the kinds of hands-on laboratory experiences I want them to have. I also wrote it because I empathize with the plight of university science students who are constantly faced with what I consider to be exorbitant textbook prices.

The exercises in this manual can also help students hone their skills as scientific observers and thinkers. These exercises can help them come to view fishes in new and interesting ways. After all, it's not what we know about animals but how we think about them that truly matters.