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RiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-NicolaRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists 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-Nicola
EveryFish

Other fish

Seahorses, pufferfish, anglerfish, gobies, flying fish and the rest. 383 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

Ocean sunfishA heavy, disc-shaped fish of the open seaGiant oarfishThe longest bony fishLeafy seadragonA seahorse relative disguised as kelpCommon seahorseThe spotted seahorse of Indian watersJapanese pufferTiger puffer, the fugu of JapanHumpback anglerfishA deep-sea angler with a glowing lureBombay duckBombil, a lizardfish of India's west coastBanded archerfishShoots insects with jets of water

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
🇺🇸 United StatesWhite bass A silver-striped freshwater fish native to North American rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇷 Argentina and 4 moreArgentinian silverside A large, adaptable silverside native to South America.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 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 4 moreGyrinocheilus aymonieri A Southeast Asian freshwater fish known for its suction-like mouth and role in the aquarium trade.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilBlack arowana A South American freshwater fish known for its dark colour and jumping hunting style.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreSilver arowana Large South American freshwater predator with bone tongue.Other · Rivers and lakes Fire eel 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreFire eel Large spiny eel with red markings from Southeast AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreThree spot gourami Hardy freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia with distinct side spots.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreFreshwater drum A hardy North American freshwater fish known for its grunting sound.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldLoach Small bottom-dwelling freshwater fish found across Eurasia and Africa.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 morePebbly fish A silver characin from African rivers and lakes.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldMullet A worldwide family of coastal ray-finned fish known for their distinct dorsal fins and historical culinary value.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreAnchovy Small, oily forage fish found in oceans and some rivers worldwide.Herring · Coasts and shelves 🇹🇿 Tanzania and 2 moreSleek lates A freshwater perch found only in Lake Tanganyika, valued by local fisheries.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreEulachon A small anadromous smelt known for its high fat content and cultural importance in Pacific North America.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreEuropean smelt Small coastal fish with a cucumber scentOther · Rivers and lakes North AmericaAtlantic croaker Noisy marine fish of the western Atlantic coastOther · Coasts and shelves 🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreNorthern pike A large freshwater ambush predator found across the Northern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1758 🇸🇳 Senegal and 4 moreAfrican arowana Plankton-eating bonytongue fish native to African riversOther · Rivers and lakes WorldNorthern whiting A widespread marine fish found in the Indo-Pacific, known for its silvery body and ability to bury itself in sand.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1775 Common ponyfish WorldCommon ponyfish A small, silvery marine fish found in Indo-Pacific coastal waters.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBartail flathead A widespread marine flathead found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreClimbing perch Amphibious freshwater fish capable of breathing air and moving on land.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1792 WorldGuntea loach A small Asian loach that breathes through its gut to survive in poor water.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreDwarf gourami Small South Asian freshwater fish with vibrant colours.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldStriped mullet A widespread coastal food fish found in tropical and temperate seas.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldIndo-Pacific tarpon A migratory fish found in Indo-Pacific fresh and salt waters.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldJarbua terapon A striped Indo-Pacific fish found in seas and rivers.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1775 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 4 moreSpotted snakehead Small carnivorous fish from South AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreDwarf snakehead Small freshwater fish native to southern AsiaOther · Rivers and lakes WorldFourfinger threadfin A large marine threadfin found in the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 IndiaGangetic leaffish A small Asian fish found in slow rivers and ponds across South Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes Lake Malawi sardine 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreLake Malawi sardine Small freshwater fish endemic to Lake MalawiOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreGiant gourami A large freshwater fish from Southeast Asia valued for food and kept in aquaria.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreIndian featherback Large silvery knifefish from South Asian riversOther · Rivers and lakes 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGiant mudskipper Large amphibious goby found in Indo-Pacific mangroves.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreStriped bass Anadromous marine fish native to the Atlantic coast of North America, known for sport fishing and culinary use.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇦🇺 Australia and 4 moreBarramundi A catadromous fish found across the Indo-West Pacific, valued for sport and aquaculture.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 4 moreParadise threadfin A yellow-finned ray-finned fish from South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreAlligator gar A large, primitive freshwater fish native to North America known for its armored scales and air-breathing ability.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1803 🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSmelt Small fish of the northern hemisphere known for spring runs and culinary traditions.Other · Rivers and lakes WorldPufferfish Toxic fish that inflate into spiny spheres for defence.Other · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the CongoGoliath tigerfish A massive freshwater predator from the Congo River Basin known for its size and sharp teeth.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1898 🇨🇦 Canada and 3 moreSturgeon Ancient fish with bony plates and heterocercal tails, known for caviar.Ancient · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreNorthern snakehead A freshwater fish from East Asia known for its air-breathing ability and invasive spread in North America.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1842 🇳🇿 New Zealand and 1 moreSprat Small forage fish of the genus Sprattus and related genera in the herring family.Herring · Coasts and shelves WorldBeluga sturgeon A massive anadromous fish from the Caspian and Black Sea basins, prized for its caviar.Other · Rivers and lakes
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The weekly digest

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