Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about fish?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about fish facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About Fish
1 – Fish are the most abundant vertebrates on Earth (meaning they have a backbone).
2 – There are over 32,000 different species of fish.
3 – The largest fish is the Whale Shark.
4 – The smallest known fish is dwarf minnow.
5 – Fish have an excellent sense of taste and smell that they use to find food in murky water or dark caves.
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6 – A group of fish is called a school.
7 – Sharks have a sense of smell that is 10,000 times more powerful than humans.
8 – The blue whale has the largest brain in relation to its body size of any animal on Earth.
9 – Some fish live in salt water and some live in fresh water (examples include salmon and trout).
10 – Like amphibians and reptiles, fish are also cold-blooded, meaning they cannot regulate their own body temperature and get their body temperature from their surroundings.
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11 – One way to tell if a fish is fresh is by examining its eyes – they should be clear and bulging out from their sockets.
12 – Tuna is the most consumed fish in the world (and second most wild caught fish, after anchoveta).
13 – The largest fish ever caught was a bluefin tuna weighing 1,496 pounds and measuring 13 feet long.
14 – Fish have scales to protect their bodies from infection and injury.
15 – Fish don’t have lungs – they get oxygen through gills on either side of their head.
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16 – Most species of fish lay eggs while others give birth to live young. These live-bearers account to only two per cent of fish and include guppies and sharks.
17 – The oldest known fish fossil is about 425 million years old.
18 – Fish produce ammonia and carbon dioxide as waste products.
19 – Fish don’t have bones – instead they have hard boney plates called “osteoderms” or spines that help support their body weight.
20 – Some types of fish are able to change color based on their surroundings to avoid detection by predators.
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21 – A group of small schooling baitfish called anchovies can travel at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and contain more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon.
22 – Fish are a great source of protein. Some people believe that eating fish makes their skin look healthier and younger because it contains omega-3 fatty acids.
23 – The largest living organism on earth is an underwater colony made up of coral and algae called the Great Barrier Reef.
24 – Female seahorses deposit the eggs of their babies to the male seahorse who receive the eggs and the eggs are then fertilised and hatched in the male’s pouch.
25 – Most fish don’t sleep at all, some swim around without stopping and others take breaks by resting motionless on the ocean floor or in coral reefs!
BONUS FACTS:
Fish are omnivores – they eat both plants and animals for food.
