Fishy Facts

Fishy Facts

Here is a list of fun facts about fish:

1. Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years, whereas mammals have only been on earth for roughly 200 millions years.  These fishes were jawless and had bodies covered with bony plates.

2. There are over 27,000 identified species of fish on the earth and an estimated 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified.

3. There are more species of fish than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined.

4. Sailfish, Swordfish, and Marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph, which is faster than the speed limits on most highways!

5. Many Rockfish can live hundreds of years. Rougheye Rockfish are the longest known living fish on earth and can live over 200 years! That means that a Rockfish on your dinner plate tonight could have been alive when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on their famous expedition in 1804 to explore unknown territories in the United States. 

6. Out of more than 360 species of Sharks, only a handful of species pose a potential threat to humans. Did you know? Elephants (~500) and deer (~100) kill more people every year than Sharks (~10)!

7. A female Sunfish may lay 300,000,000 eggs at a single spawning season. 

8. A male Bangaii Cardinalfish will hold both eggs and babies in his mouth until the young are ready to swim on their own. This process is known as "mouth brooding." Although it takes several weeks, the male fish will not eat until the eggs hatch.

9. Catfish have over 27,000 taste buds, whereas humans have only 9,000. 

10. African Lungfish are capable of living out of water for up to two years. They hibernate underground and wait for the water level to rise.

11. Goldfish can live for decades. The oldest known Goldfish, "Goldie," died in 2005 at 45 years of age. The second oldest Goldfish was "Tish" who died at 43. 

12. The largest fish in the world is the Whale Shark. The largest recorded Whale Shark was 12.6 m (41.5 ft) long, had a girth of 7 m (23 ft), and weighed more than 21,500 kg (47,300 lbs). 

13. Whale Sharks also lay the largest eggs of any animal. A Whale Shark egg measuring 35.6 cm (14 in) long was found in the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s. 

14.  The largest predatory Shark is the great White Shark. The largest one ever caught was 11.3 m (37 ft) long and weighted over 10,909 kg (24,000 lbs). 

15. It takes approximately seven years for the average American Lobster to reach one pound. 

16. The largest Octopus in the world is the Pacific Giant Octopus. Although it is only about the size of a pea when it is born, by the time it is two years old it can be 9.1 m (30 ft) across and weigh 68.2 kg (150 lbs). 

17. The Giant Squid is the largest creature without a backbone. It grows up to 16.8 m (55 ft) across and weighs up to 2,722 kg (5,000 lbs). The Giant Squid also has the largest eyes of any animal on earth, as they are sixteen times wider than human eyes, or more than 30.5 cm (1 ft) in diameter.

18. The Spotted Climbing Perch is able to absorb oxygen from the air and can crawl over land using its strong pectoral fins in search of water.

19. Some fish, like Sharks, do not have an air bladder to help keep them afloat. They must either swim continually or rest on the bottom.

20. Fish have a specialized sense organ called their lateral line, which works much like radar and helps them navigate in dark or murky water.

21. It wasn’t until 1853 in London when aeration and filtration of water was understood, that people were able to keep fish as indoor pets. 

22. The first public aquarium was opened in London (1853), and by 1856 New York also had an aquarium. 

23. The Great Barrier Reef Aquarium is the world’s largest living reef aquarium with 2.5 million L (660,430 gal) of water! It is located in Queenshead, Australia. 

24. Today, fresh and saltwater aquarium fish are the most popular pets in the U.S. Approximately 12 million households own aquariums.

25. The world’s tiniest fish is the Stout Infant, which is about 0.6 cm (0.25 in) long. 

26. The largest fish fossil found to date is from the Leedsichthys problematicus, which lived 150 million years ago. It was found in England in 2003 and measured 22.0 m (72 ft) long.

27. Cavefish have no sight, but can detect movement and odor through what?.

28. American Lobsters have longer life spans than both cats and dogs, living over 20 years.

29. A person who studies fish for a living is called an ichthyologist. 

30. Gills are efficient at extracting oxygen from water that has 1/20 the oxygen of air.

31. Lateral line system detects water currents and vibrations, a sense of “distant touch”.

32. Adapted to live in medium 800 times denser than air.

33. Can adjust to the salt and water balance of their environment.

34. “Fish” refers to one or more individuals of one species. “Fishes” refers to more than one species

35. Descended from an unknown free-swimming protochordate (tunicates) ancestor about 550 million years ago.

36. In most vertebrates, the cerebrum is responsible for all the voluntary activities of the body.
In fishes, however, the cerebrum primarily processes the sense of smell.

37. Many bony fishes have an internal, gas-filled organ called a swim bladder (or air-bladder) that adjusts their buoyancy. Gases are pulled out of circulatory system and into the bladder to increase buoyancy. Controlled by pressure of water.

38. Lampreys are typically filter feeders as larvae and parasites as adults. Adult lampreys attach themselves to fishes, whales, and dolphins. They scrape away at the skin with small toothlike structures. The lamprey sucks up the tissues and body fluids of its host.

38. Hagfishes have pinkish gray, wormlike bodies and four or six short tentacles around their mouths. They lack eyes, but have light-detecting sensors scattered around their bodies. They feed on dead and dying fish by using a toothed tongue to scrape a hole into the fish’s side.