News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Other fish

Seahorses, pufferfish, anglerfish, gobies, flying fish and the rest. 77 fish on EveryFish so far.

Many fish do not fit the familiar groups. Seahorses and pipefish, pufferfish and ocean sunfish, anglerfish, flying fish, oarfish, mudskippers, gobies, archerfish and lizardfish each belong to their own branches of the fish family tree. Among them are some of the strangest shapes and records in the animal world, from the heaviest bony fish to some of the smallest vertebrates known.

Record breakers

The ocean sunfish and its relatives are the heaviest bony fish: a bumphead sunfish found off the Azores in 2021 weighed about 2,700 kg. The giant oarfish is the longest bony fish, reaching around 8 metres. At the other end, Paedocypris progenetica, a tiny carp of Indonesian peat swamps, matures at under 8 mm. Seahorses are unusual in that males carry the eggs in a pouch and give birth.

Odd fish, familiar names

Pufferfish blow themselves up with water and carry a deadly poison, yet are eaten as fugu in Japan. Flying fish glide above the waves on wide pectoral fins. Archerfish of mangroves shoot down insects with jets of water. The Bombay duck, bombil, of India's west coast is a lizardfish, a soft, toothy fish eaten fresh or dried. Anglerfish of the deep sea fish for prey with a glowing lure.

Famous other fish

Giant oarfishThe longest bony fishHumpback anglerfishA deep-sea angler with a glowing lure

Still to be written: Ocean sunfish, Leafy seadragon, Hippocampus kuda, Takifugu rubripes, Bombay duck, Banded archerfish.

Further reading

WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldDeepsea lizardfish A deep-ocean predator with a flattened head and large eyes found in tropical seas worldwide.Other · Deep sea · 1878 WorldRibbonfish Deep-sea lampriforms with long, tape-like bodiesOther · Open ocean WorldGlasshead barreleye Deep-sea fish with mirror-based eyesOther · Open ocean WorldStareater Small deep-sea fish with a red glowing lureOther · Deep sea WorldCrestfish Deep-sea ribbon fish with a head crest and ink sacsOther · Open ocean WorldBarreleye Deep-sea fish with tubular eyes and a light-producing anusOther · Open ocean WorldBristlemouths A family of abundant deep-sea fish with bioluminescent organs and bristle-like teeth.Other · Open ocean WorldLanternfish Small bioluminescent mesopelagic fish found in oceans worldwide.Other · Open ocean WorldAnglerfish Ray-finned fish using a modified dorsal fin ray as a lure to catch prey.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829 WorldOarfish Extremely long pelagic fish known for their ribbon-like bodies and association with sea serpent myths.Other · Open ocean · 1772 WorldGrenadiers Deep-sea gadiform fish with slender bodies and long tails, found globally in ocean depths.Other · Deep sea · 1765 WorldDanio A genus of small striped freshwater fish from Asia kept in aquaria.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1822 🇦🇺 Australia and 2 moreRainbowfish Small colourful freshwater fish from Australia and New GuineaOther · Rivers and lakes · 1894 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldHumpback anglerfish Deep-sea black seadevil with a glowing lureOther · Open ocean · 1863 WorldTriplewart seadevil A deep-sea anglerfish with extreme sexual dimorphism and parasitic males.Other · Deep sea · 1883 WorldSloane's viperfish Deep-sea dragonfish with huge teeth and light organsOther · Open ocean · 1801 WorldBlack dragonfish Deep-sea fish with infrared light and stalked larval eyesOther · Open ocean WorldBarreleye Deep-sea argentiniform fish with transparent heads and tubular eyes.Other · Deep sea WorldGiant oarfish The world's longest ray-finned fish, known for its ribbon-like body and crimson crest.Other · Open ocean · 1772 🇦🇺 Australia and 1 moreBlobfish A gelatinous deep-sea fish from Australia and New Zealand waters.Other · Deep sea WorldBlack swallower Deep-sea fish that eats prey larger than itselfOther · Open ocean WorldPacific blackdragon Deep-sea fish with light-absorbing skin and a glowing chin lure.Other · Open ocean WorldRoundnose grenadier A large deep-sea fish from the northern Atlantic Ocean with a rounded head and long tail.Other · Deep sea WorldTripod fish Deep-sea fish that stands on elongated finsOther · Open ocean 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreGiant grenadier A large deep-sea rattail from the North Pacific.Other · Open ocean 🇯🇵 JapanJapanese rice fish Small freshwater fish native to Japan and a key model organism.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 4 moreRed-bellied piranha A widespread South American freshwater fish known for its omnivorous diet and shoaling behavior.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreRed-bellied Pacu A large South American freshwater fish related to piranhas, farmed for food and kept in aquariums.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldHeadstander South American freshwater fish known for swimming with their heads pointed downwards.Other · Rivers and lakes
Previous

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.