20 Curious facts about fish that you may not have known about

Fish are curious and sometimes very strange animals. It's time to dive even deeper into the particular world of fish and learn all those curious facts that are sure to be the answers to the questions you've been asking yourself.

1. Do fish drink water?

Have you ever wondered if fish drink water? We are sure it is a recurring question and the answer is yes. It all depends on the type of water they are in; for example, fish that live in salt water need to drink water constantly so as not to die of dehydration, while freshwater fish drink very little and do so to regulate the salt concentration in their bodies. Even so, all fish drink water.

2. Unknown species

Although vertebrates are the most studied living beings in the world, the truth is that in the more than two centuries of ichthyology (the science that studies fish), not even 70% of the fish species believed to exist in the depths of the water have been recorded. Many scientists believe that there are extremophile organisms living in places of the ocean where humans have not yet arrived.

3. Fish have memory

Another curious fact about fish that may surprise you has to do with their ability to remember. You see, it has been scientifically proven that most fish are able to remember their predators (at least for a year). This record remains in memory and they try to be cautious once they sense their presence.

4. They do not only breathe through their gills

It has always been said that fish, as part of their curiosities, tend to breathe through their gills, but what they don't tell us is that some of them have lungs. Yes, just as you read; there are at least 400 species of fish that have lung breathing capacity and use it when oxygen concentrations in the water drop.

5. How do they sleep?

Have you ever seen a fish with its eyes closed? I'm sure you haven't, and that's because most of them don't have eyelids. That doesn't mean they don't sleep; they actually manage to rest peacefully due to a transparent membrane that covers their eyes. So... How do you know if they are asleep? Simple, if they stay still for a long time, they are resting peacefully.

6. Hermaphrodite fish

Surely you know that hermaphrodite animals are those that have the ability to produce eggs and sperm. In the case of fish and their curiosities, you should know that only 2% of the population has this particularity, an example of this is the clown fish.

7. A lethal fish

Not all small fish are harmless, some can kill us. The stonefish, for example, is one of the most dangerous animals in Australia and its fins are capable of containing a deadly poison that would kill us in a matter of minutes.

8. Piranhas and more piranhas

We know that piranhas are one of those creatures that top the list of the most dangerous animals on the planet, but the truth is that this could not be further from the curious facts about fish. No, piranhas are not so bad after all, their bite is never deadly, although it is painful, and they usually only attack their prey.

9. They get stressed very easily

Another curiosity of fish that we must take into account when we are near them is that our presence alters them a lot. Fish are not indifferent to the noises we make when we walk or talk, in fact they are very sensitive. Several studies have confirmed that human noise causes them stress and therefore affects their growth and reproductive capacity.

10. A really special fish

Have you ever heard of the Serranus Tortugarum? Well, as we saw in one of the curious fish facts above, there are some fish that are hermaphrodites and are capable of producing eggs and sperm. But no species has the capacity that the Serranus have... They, unlike the rest, are able to change sex up to 20 times a day.

11. The sun also affects them

Although it may seem strange to you, fish also have sunscreen. Sometimes, fish scales are not strong enough to prevent the sun's rays from affecting them. For this reason, some fish produce a kind of sunscreen called gadusol that has the same function as any sunscreen: to protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

12. The language of fish

Fish moan, hiss, whistle, rattle their bones, grind their teeth and even use a system of vibrating their muscles against their swim bladder to produce sounds and communicate with each other.

13. The fish exoskeleton

Did you know that fish have two types of bones? Unlike the curiosities of human bones, fish have a spine and scales, which are also bones. Surely this is one of the curiosities of fish that you didn't know, and with good reason, because scales don't have even close to the appearance of bones, even so, they are responsible for giving shape and structure to the body of these little animals.

14. They can drown

Believe it or not, there are records of fish that have drowned in water. Why? Well, they need oxygen to live and when the water does not have enough, they can suffocate to death.

15. A chameleon fish

Just like a chameleon, there is a particular species of fish that is able to change its color according to the situation it is in; it is the Gobius Paganellus that, in dangerous situations, can change its color in less than 60 seconds. Yes, fish curiosities never cease to amaze us.

16. Flying fish

Although their study is not so old, the truth is that there are at least 40 species of fish capable of flying. Of course, they do not soar through the air for hours and hours, but rather, they are capable of taking enough momentum to rise a few meters above the water and glide with their fins for a few seconds during their descent. One of the most incredible fish fun facts.

17. Deadly sharks

The turn has come to the curiosities of sharks... Some are really dangerous and are found in almost all oceanic waters, but the most dangerous for man are the white shark, the tiger and the bull shark.

18. Pufferfish

Not only is it part of traditional Japanese food, but it is a fish capable of doubling its size when inflated with water or air. Its stomach is very elastic and its capacity to ingest water is amazing.

19. Taste buds on its skin

As you have read, the vast majority of fish possess taste buds along their body length. This allows them to perceive the characteristics of prey or elements found in the water.

20. The fastest and the slowest

The first is the sailfish, one of the fastest animals in the world, with a record of 109 km/h, and the slowest is the seahorse, which, even when it is moving, seems to be completely static.