Fish Trivia
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There are more fish on Earth than birds or mammals.
New fish are being discovered all the time. It's believed there may be 28,000 different species.
Blind Cave fish are born with eyes, but as they grow up skin grows over them.
The Croaking Gourami croaks when it is mating.
Climbing Perch can walk on dry land and even climb trees.
Prize winning Koi have sold for tens of thousands of dollars for just one fish.
One in ten pet owners has fish.
In the United States one in ten households has at least one freshwater aquarium.
Almost half of home aquarists have been active hobbyists for five years or more.
Florida produces and supplies 95 percent of the tropical fish sold in North America.
The population of home tropical fish exceeds 200 million specimens.
Discus feed their babies on mucus they excrete from their bodies.
Female Guppies can have up to five litters of babies from mating only one time.
Tennessee's 130,000 square foot public freshwater aquarium is the largest in the world.
The finest Caviar comes from a freshwater fish - the Beluga Sturgeon.
Arowana babies live in their fathers mouth until they are big enough to be on their own
Cardinal Tetras bright stripe makes it hard for predators to select one fish in the school.
Well cared for Goldfish can live to be as much as 70 years old.
In 1984, live flounders fell on a London neighborhood after being sucked up in a waterspout.
In 1999 a Heron dropped a live goldfish down the chimney of a London family. The fish survived.
Flapping their fins, Hachetfish have flown out of the water for several feet.
The smallest fish is 1/3 inch long freshwater goby.
Scientists use ear growth rings to determine a fish's age.
Most freshwater eels migrate to saltwater to spawn.
Sturgeons and Striped Bass live in saltwater but migrate to freshwater to spawn.
Lobsters and crayfish eat their own shell after molting.
Only 1 in 100 salmon eggs will survive it to adulthood.
Goldfish lose their color if kept in dim light.
Shrimps' hearts are in their heads.
A 400 million year old prehistoric fish species once thought extinct is still living today.
Fish sleep with their eyes open.
The largest fish in the world is the Whale Shark it can grow to over 40 feet and weigh in excess of 20 tons.
The scales and hide of a Gar are very thick and tough. Native Americans used the scales of the Gar as arrowheads. Pioneers covered their wooden plows with the hides of Gar to protect them.
In Lake Mendocino California a number of people were reporting being bitten by catfish while swimming in the lake , biologist investigated determining that the attacks stemmed from the fish being in heat, the attacks ended at the onset of spawning season when the fish found "better things to do".
Largest fish ever caught on a fishing pole 3,427 pound Great White Shark.
The odds of being eaten by a shark are 1 in 300 million the odds of a bee killing you are 1 in 6 million .
Alaska Airlines is the only airlines to have suffered a Fish Strike. While all airlines have suffered bird strikes ( when a bird flies into a airplane ) Alaska Airlines holds the distinct honor of being the only airline in the world to hit a fish.
Flying out of Juneo, Alaska in 1986 a Alaska 737-200 was taking off, when towards the end of the run way, the pilot pulled back the stick, raised the nose wheels off the runway, then the main landing gear and at an altitude of just under 75 feet a bald eagle with a freshly caught salmon came into the path of the flight. Startling the bird, it released the salmon which crashed down onto the nose of the aircraft, shattering the small window above the co-plots head and sending scales and other "goodies" all along the side of the aircraft The plane returned to the airport and passangers were moved to another aircraft. 4 large dents and one window had to be repaired/replaced as well as a good cleaning to the aircraft at a cost of over 130,000 dollars, now that was one expensive salmon.
The fastest freshwater fish is the pike can reach speeds of 20 mph.
The fastest marine fish is the Sailfish they can move at 68 mph followed by the Mako Shark at 60 mph, the Wahoo 48 mph and Bluefin Tuna 43mph all in pusuit of other fast movers such as Mackeral, Jacks, and Yellowfin Tuna that hit speeds between 30 and 40 mph! Slowest marine is the Seahorse, 0.01 mph. Largest marine mammal is the Blue whale recorded at 109 feet or about 33m and estimated 190 tons. Flying fish have been seen to fly more than 300 feet, a following wind perhaps...
The age of a fish can be determined by looking at its scales, each scale has a set of growth rings each ring equals a year, count the rings and the age is revealed.
Catfish have tastebuds all over their bodies , a few even have taste buds on their tails.
Noodling is fishing for catfish by hand without equipment. (only nuts noodle its dangerous snakes and gaters and mean ol catfish).
The electric eel can release a charge of 400 volts.
Misnamed Fish:
Australia's potato cod is not a cod, but a grouper weighing 150-300 pounds.
The electric eel is not an eel, but is related to the harmless goldfish.
The hog snapper (hogfish) is not a member of the snapper family, but of the wrasse clan.
The largemouth bass isn't a true bass, and in fact is the largest member of the sunfish family.
Although it is called a perch, Lake Victoria's perch are actually a member of the snook family.
The Atlantic guitarfish is not a fish, but a ray.
The moray eel is not a true eel.
The white seabass is not a true bass, but a member of the drum family.
The white perch is actually a member of the bass family.
The Atlantic salmon is actually a member of the genus Salmo, or trout family, not a salmon, which belongs to the genus Oncorhynynchus.
The Murray lobster of Australia is really a freshwater crayfish, growing to 10 inches in length.
The best time to fish is early evening about an hour before sunset and right until around midnight. If the tide is incoming, all the better. It's also great fishing in the early morning before dawn and until about an hour before daybreak, again providing the tide is an incoming one.
Rising Barometer ~ Fishing is Best
Rapidly Fluctuating (Either Way) ~ Indication of Good Fishing
Static Barometer ~ Fishing is Poor
Falling Barometer ~ First Part of Fall is Good. After several hours of a falling barometer.