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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. 176 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 fishLeafy seadragonA seahorse relative disguised as kelpHumpback anglerfishA deep-sea angler with a glowing lureBanded archerfishShoots insects with jets of water

Still to be written: Ocean sunfish, Hippocampus kuda, Takifugu rubripes, Bombay duck.

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
WorldQueen triggerfish Large, colourful reef fish of the tropical Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldBlue-spotted grouper A widely distributed Indo-Pacific grouper known for its blue spots and invasive impact in Hawaii.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldBluehead wrasse A small Atlantic reef fish known for changing sex and colour.Other · Coral reefs WorldClown triggerfish A striking black and white reef fish with a locking dorsal spine.Other · Coral reefs · 1801 WorldOriental sweetlips Striped reef fish with swollen lips found in the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldSeahorse Small marine fish with horse-like heads and curled tails in the genus Hippocampus.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldLeaf scorpionfish A small reef fish that mimics a drifting leaf to ambush prey.Other · Coral reefs · 1802 OceaniaMaroon clownfish Large, aggressive anemonefish with a distinctive cheek spine.Other · Coral reefs WorldMandarinfish A small, brightly coloured Pacific fish kept in saltwater aquariums.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1927 WorldYellow prawn-goby A small, colourful goby that shares burrows with shrimps.Other · Coasts and shelves OceaniaPajama Cardinalfish Small, spotted reef fish known for male mouthbrooding.Other · Coral reefs WorldAnglerfish Ray-finned fish using a modified dorsal fin ray as a lure to catch prey.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1829 South AsiaGreen spotted puffer Small brackish water pufferfish with a tiny genomeOther · Rivers and lakes WorldWrasse A large family of colourful marine fish known for sex change and cleaning symbiosis.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves WorldBoxfish Armoured fish with a box-like body and toxic skin secretions.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1810 Southeast AsiaPygmy seahorse Tiny seahorses with unique brooding and camouflage traits found in Southeast Asian reefs.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇦🇺 AustraliaLeafy seadragon A marine fish from southern Australia known for its leaf-like skin appendages used for camouflage.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1865 🇦🇺 AustraliaCommon seadragon Camouflaged marine fish with leaf-like appendages found in southern Australia.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldLongfin batfish A silver marine fish with elongated juvenile fins found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves WorldOrnate ghost pipefish A camouflaged reef fish with variable colours and female brood pouches.Other · Coral reefs WorldOrbicular batfish A round, silvery marine fish native to the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreReef stonefish A highly venomous marine fish known for its rock-like camouflage and potent toxins.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1801 🇺🇸 United StatesSpotted ratfish Cartilaginous fish with a rat-like tail and venomous spineOther · Coasts and shelves

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.