Fish facts & stats

Question 1

In which fish does the male carry the eggs in a pouch until they hatch?

Accepted Answer

Seahorse. Female seahorses place eggs in the male's brood pouch, and he later releases the young.

Question 2

Clownfish live among the stinging tentacles of which animal?

Accepted Answer

Sea anemones. A mucus coating protects clownfish from the anemone's sting, and both benefit from the partnership.

Question 3

What are shark skeletons made of?

Accepted Answer

Cartilage. Sharks and rays are cartilaginous fish, with flexible skeletons like the tissue in your nose and ears.

Question 4

What does a fish's lateral line detect?

Accepted Answer

Movement and vibrations in the water. The lateral line is a row of sensory organs along each side that senses water movement.

Question 5

What is a fish's tail fin called?

Accepted Answer

Caudal fin. The caudal fin at the tail usually provides the main thrust for swimming.

Question 6

Fish like salmon that hatch in fresh water, live at sea, then return to rivers to spawn are called what?

Accepted Answer

Anadromous. Anadromous fish migrate up rivers to breed; catadromous fish like freshwater eels do the reverse.

Question 7

A living coelacanth, a fish once thought extinct, was found in 1938 off the coast of which country?

Accepted Answer

South Africa. A coelacanth was caught near East London, South Africa, and spotted by museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer.

The basics