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dorsal fin

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 292 words | Copyright

dorsal fin The unpaired fin located on the back (dorsal surface) of both bony fish and sharks. It may be single and soft-rayed, as in trout, or double with the anterior dorsal fin supported by fin spines, as in perch. In some species (e.g. eels) the dorsal fin is confluent with the tail fin.

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