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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
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Rivers and lakes

Fresh water: rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. 606 fish on EveryFish so far.

Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds hold less than one per cent of the Earth's water, yet about half of all known fish species live in them. Fresh water is broken into separate basins, and fish that cannot cross between them evolve apart, which is why each river system and lake has its own species. The Amazon, Congo, Mekong and Ganges basins and the great lakes of Africa are the richest.

Life in fresh water

A freshwater fish is saltier inside than the water around it, so it must pump salt in through its gills and pass a lot of dilute urine. Freshwater habitats range from torrential Himalayan streams, where loaches cling to rocks, to warm, still swamps where air-breathing snakeheads, catfish and gouramis thrive. Many river fish time their spawning to floods: the Indian major carps spawn in the monsoon floodwaters, and Mekong fish move into flooded forests.

The most threatened fish

Freshwater fish are declining faster than sea fish. A 2021 report by conservation groups found that about a third of freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction and that 80 had already been declared extinct. Dams block migrations, water is drawn off for farms and cities, pollution and sand mining degrade rivers, and introduced species such as tilapia and African catfish compete with native fish. In India, the rivers of the Western Ghats and the North-East hold many endemic fish at risk.

Famous rivers and lakes fish

RohuA river carp of the Indian subcontinentArapaimaAn air-breathing giant of the AmazonMekong giant catfishOne of the largest freshwater fishGolden mahseerThe golden mahseer of Himalayan riversNile perchA huge predator of African lakesRed-bellied piranhaA schooling fish of South American riversZebrafishA small fish of South Asian streams

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
🇬🇹 Guatemala and 4 moreConvict cichlid Striped Central American cichlid popular in home aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1867 🇭🇳 Honduras and 3 moreJaguar cichlid Large predatory cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes Demasoni cichlid 🇹🇿 TanzaniaDemasoni cichlid Small striped cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldAuratus cichlid Small, colourful cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaPrincess cichlid A cooperative schooling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 2 morePeacock bass Large predatory cichlids from South American rivers known for sport fishing and invasive impact.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldHaplochromis A large ray-finned fish genus from East Africa known for rapid evolution and aquarium popularity.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1888 🇲🇼 Malawi and 2 moreMalawi eyebiter Predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi known for its narrow body and unique feeding habits.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇮 Burundi and 3 moreGiant cichlid The largest living cichlid species, native to Lake Tanganyika in Africa.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1899 🇵🇪 PeruAgassiz's dwarf cichlid Small Amazonian cichlid with colourful males.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldCichlid Diverse freshwater fish family known for parental care and rapid evolution.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1835 Sub-Saharan AfricaHump-head cichlid A blue cichlid with a forehead hump from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldWhite spotted cichlid A small rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaRed Zebra Cichlid A colourful rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldOcellated shell dweller Small cichlid from Lake Tanganyika living in snail shellsCichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaBlunthead cichlid A colourful algae-eating cichlid from Lake Tanganyika.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇨🇷 Costa Rica and 1 moreMidas cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇮 NicaraguaRed devil cichlid Large aggressive cichlid from Central American lakesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreSalvin's cichlid A colourful Central American river fish with a yellow body and red belly.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTexas cichlid The only cichlid native to the United StatesCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇹🇿 TanzaniaPundamilia nyererei A small cichlid from Lake Victoria named after Tanzania's first president.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldUaru A large South American cichlid from clear Amazon streams.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 Sub-Saharan AfricaBumblebee cichlid A Lake Malawi cichlid that cleans catfish and steals their eggs.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaKenyi cichlid A bright yellow and blue cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaGiraffe hap A sand-ambushing cichlid from Lake Malawi.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaJewel cichlid Brightly colored African cichlids kept in aquariums for their vivid breeding colours and parental care.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaZebra mbuna Small rock-dwelling cichlid from Lake MalawiCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇻🇪 VenezuelaKeyhole cichlid Small peaceful cichlid from South AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreFlag cichlid A South American cichlid from river basins in Brazil and Bolivia.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilPterophyllum A genus of laterally compressed freshwater cichlids known as angelfish.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1824 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 2 moreAltum angelfish Large freshwater angelfish from the Orinoco Basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreGreen terror A large, aggressive South American cichlid kept in aquariums.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 BrazilDiscus Round, colourful cichlids from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1840 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreOscar Large South American cichlid popular in aquariumsCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1831 🇲🇽 Mexico and 4 moreJack Dempsey Aggressive cichlid native to Central AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreFiremouth cichlid Central American cichlid with a bright red throatCichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇷 Brazil and 3 moreSpeckled peacock bass A large South American cichlid prized for sport and food.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes WorldBlood parrot cichlid A bright orange hybrid cichlid bred for the aquarium trade.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1986 🇻🇪 Venezuela and 1 moreRam cichlid Small colourful freshwater fish from South AmericaCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1948 WorldHeros efasciatus A fruit-eating cichlid from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreKribensis Small colourful cichlid from West AfricaCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1901 Sub-Saharan AfricaElectric yellow cichlid Bright yellow cichlid from Lake Malawi popular in home aquariums.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Livingston's cichlid Sub-Saharan AfricaLivingston's cichlid A predatory cichlid from Lake Malawi that feigns death to hunt.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaFrontosa cichlid Large deep-water cichlid from Lake Tanganyika with a prominent forehead hump.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇧🇴 Bolivia and 1 moreBolivian ram A small, peaceful cichlid from the Amazon basin.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes Sub-Saharan AfricaVictoria tilapia A cichlid native to Lake Victoria with unique colour patterns.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreMozambique tilapia A hardy cichlid from southeastern Africa, now farmed globally and listed as a major invasive species.Cichlid · Rivers and lakes 🇵🇪 Peru and 3 moreFreshwater angelfish Popular aquarium fish from the Amazon BasinCichlid · Rivers and lakes · 1823
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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