Discover It

Fish

More than one fish in the lake!

Hundreds of freshwater lakes, rivers and streams are swimming with all sorts of creatures like insects, snakes, frogs and hundreds of species of fish. At least half of those fish species can be found in the Great Lakes - home to Lake Superior – the largest freshwater lake in the world!

Fish are covered by colorrful scales, have curved gills, spiny fins and feathery tails. Their coloor actually helps camouflage them from predators and some fish can even change their color to match what’s around them so they blend in even more. Female fish lay several thousand eggs at a time in “nests” made by the males in the water often over gravel and sand bottoms.

On the right side of this page, you’ll see several fish that are not only nice to look at, but fun to catch as well!

Ian has supplied us with some great fun fish facts. Have a look and ask Ian some questions.

Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years.
Fish were well established long before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
There are over 25,000 identified species of fish on the earth.
It is estimated that there may still be over 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified.
There are more species of fish than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined.
40% of all fish species inhabit fresh water, yet less than .01% of the earth's water is fresh water.
The spotted climbing perch is able to absorb oxygen from the air and will crawl overland using its strong pectoral fins.
Some fish like sharks don't posses an air bladder to help keep them afloat and must either swim continually or rest on the bottom.
Some fish make sounds by grating their teeth and others like some catfish make sounds from their air filled swim bladder.
Some species of fish can fly (glide) others can skip along the surface and others can even climb rock.
Fish have a specialized sense organ called the lateral line which works much like radar and helps them navigate in dark or murky water.
The largest fish is the great whale shark which can reach fifty feet in length.
The smallest fish is the Philippine goby that is less than 1/3 of an inch when fully grown.
Tropical fish are one of the most popular pets in the U.S.