Fun Fish Facts

Some interesting facts about fish:

• Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years.
• Fish were well established long before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
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• There are over 25,000 identified species of fish on the earth.
• It is estimated that there may still be over 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified.
• There are more species of fish than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined.
• 40% of all fish species inhabit fresh water, yet less than .01% of the earth’s water is fresh water.
• The spotted climbing perch is able to absorb oxygen from the air and will crawl overland using its strong pectoral fins.
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• Some fish like sharks don’t posses an air bladder to help keep them afloat and must either swim continually or rest on the bottom.
• Some fish make sounds by grating their teeth and others like some catfish make sounds from their air filled swim bladder.
• Amazon Catfish Underwater-SoundBible.com-1070443290
• Some species of fish can fly (glide) others can skip along the surface and others can even climb rock
• [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nEwte-x-iw[/youtube]

• Fish have a specialized sense organ called the lateral line which works much like radar and helps them navigate in dark or murky water.
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• The largest fish is the great whale shark which can reach fifty feet in length.
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• The smallest fish is the Philippine goby that is less than 1/3 of an inch when fully grown.
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• Some species of fish have skeletons made only of cartilage.
• Fish have excellent senses of sight, touch, taste and many possess a good sense of smell and ‘hearing’.
• Fish feel pain and suffer stress just like mammals and birds.
• Tropical fish are one of the most popular pets in the U.S.
• 95% of tropical fish mortality results from improper housing and nutrition.
• Many tropical fish sold in the United States are harvested from the wild in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.
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