Fish are far stranger, smarter, and more surprising than most people realize. 25 Incredible Fish Facts You Probably Didn’t Know dives into hidden stories of ancient survivors, bizarre behaviors, record-breaking giants, and strange ocean myths that turn out to be true. From glowing deep-sea hunters to 200-year-old koi and flying needlefish, these facts reveal just how fascinating life underwater really is.
Bony-eared ass fish
1. A fish named the “Bony-eared ass fish” possesses the smallest brain-to-body size ratio among all vertebrates known.
2. The Coelacanth is an ancient fish more closely related to reptiles and mammals than to present-day fish. It was believed to have been extinct for 65 million years until a fisherman caught one in 1938.
3. In Japan, raw salmon was once considered unsafe because Pacific salmon often carried parasites. Norway, having a surplus of salmon, aimed to educate Japanese consumers that Atlantic salmon could be safely eaten raw. It took a decade for salmon sushi and sashimi to gain popularity.
4. Freshwater fish absorb water through their skin by osmosis instead of drinking it, whereas saltwater fish intake water through their mouths as well.
5. The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, which is warm-blooded, is so strong that during intense muscle exertion it can generate enough heat to cook its own flesh.
6. The chance of an encounter with a candiru, a fish that invades the penis, is comparable to being hit by lightning while also being eaten by a shark at the same time.
7. A species of deep-sea fish exploits the inability of other fish to perceive red light by shining a red bioluminescent beam on its prey, enabling it to hunt using a light beam that remains unseen.
8. In some cases, female fish have been seen mimicking orgasms to fool males into believing copulation has occurred before leaving to seek out a superior mate.
9. Certain horse owners introduce goldfish into water troughs to control mosquitoes and algae by keeping the troughs clean.
10. The practice of keeping goldfish in bowls originates from a misinterpretation of Chinese vessels intended for brief display of goldfish to visitors; normally, the fish were kept in ponds. Because bowls are harmful to goldfish health, places like Rome have banned their use due to concerns about animal cruelty.
Tuna
11. As much as 40% of tuna brought into the U.S. from Thailand is either illegal or not reported, with up to 45% of Pollock imported from China and 70% of salmon imports also affected.
12. In 2013, a bluefin tuna weighing 500 pounds was sold in Japan for $1.8 million.
13. The belief that goldfish remember only for a few seconds is false. They are capable of being trained to respond to light cues and perform tricks.
14. In April 2015, researchers witnessed several armored catfish climbing cave walls in Ecuador, marking the first discovery of catfish adapted to live in subterranean waters.
15. The heaviest Blue Marlin caught with rod and reel weighed 1,800 pounds, and inside its stomach, a Yellowfin Tuna weighing more than 155 pounds was discovered.
16. Hanako was a koi fish that lived for 225 years.
17. Goldfish were initially silver in color. They were selectively bred by the Song Dynasty’s imperial family in ancient China until they turned yellow, as yellow was a favored color.
18. Dolphins occasionally deliberately allow themselves to be stung by pufferfish to experience a high.
19. Halibut hatch with an eye on both sides of their head and swim similarly to salmon. After six months, one eye moves to the other side, giving them a flounder-like appearance. Meanwhile, the side without the moving eye darkens to match the upper side, while the opposite side stays white.
20. A well-liked 17th-century Chinese mixture of pickled fish and spices known as “kê-chiap” was adopted by English explorers. English settlers brought it to the American colonies, where it gained popularity and evolved into what we now call Ketchup.
Sunfish
21. Because sunfish can be affected by skin parasites, they occasionally break the water’s surface using their dorsal fin and beak to catch the attention of gulls or similar seabirds. These birds then remove worms and other persistent parasites from the fish’s skin.
22. The number of fish species inhabiting the Amazon river exceeds those documented in the entire Atlantic Ocean.
23. Monza in Italy has prohibited round goldfish bowls because ‘‘a fish living in a bowl experiences a distorted perception of reality’’.
24. The red color of wild salmon flesh comes from pigments found in the krill they consume. This is the same pigment responsible for the red or pink hue in lobsters and flamingos. Without this pigment in their diet, farmed salmon flesh turns the typical grey shade seen in other fish, which is why farmed salmon is marked as ‘‘color added’’.
25. The Needlefish can leap out of the water and strike humans at speeds reaching 37 mph, with multiple human deaths documented.
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