By Makena Behnke, who may learn to swim with the fishes
since this week’s theme is fish, or rather aquatic, i’m giving you a very nice list of fish. if you’re like me, you don’t know much about fish, but you think they’re pretty cool. there are so many different types of fish with different colors, sizes, and breeds. here is an a-z list of fish:
- alligator gar. this swimmer is particularly scary-looking, very dinosaur-esque. usually found in the southern US in rivers, reservoirs, and bays.
- blue tilapia. this one is probably my favorite fish on this list. it’s just so pretty. found in mainly Florida.
- cobia. this fish weighs an average of a whopping eighty-two pounds and is about the length of a grown man’s wingspan. found in the Virginia area and throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
- discus. this fish is properly named seeing as it is shaped like a disc. also known as the king of the aquarium fish. found in the Amazon River basin.
- eagle ray. a more interesting-looking ray than the usual grey/silver-ish ray. found in New Zealand bays and rocky reefs.
- flounder. no, not the blue and yellow fish from The Little Mermaid. the arrowtooth flounder is found in northeast Pacific Ocean.
- gag grouper. found from North Carolina to Brazil. they like to feed on round scad, sardines, porgies, crabs, shrimp, and squid.
- hogfish. found from Canada to northern South America in coral reefs. they are also protogynous hermaphrodites.
- indian glassfish. staying true to its name of “glassfish,” this fish is transparent. found in mainly South Asian waters.
- jarbydy. found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, they’re omnivorous and are big fans of small fish.
- knobbed porgy. found from North Carolina to southern Florida. they grace the waters with their silver body and a red tint.
- lemon tetra. found in South America, they feed on worms and crustaceans.
- mudskipper. found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. these guys are easy to catch and fun to play around with (according to Makena and her “personal experience”).
- northern hog sucker. found in the Great Lake area. it sucks up snails and insects, hence the name sucker.
- opaline gourami. found in Southeast Asia. lives in lowland wetlands, marshy and swampy areas.
- pomfret. found all across the Pacific Ocean. they stay close to the surface of the water, and they’re rarely caught inshore.
- quillfish. found in the North Pacific. they’re found at the surface at night and burrow in the sand during the day.
- redbreast acara. found in Central American waters. they prefer more stagnant waters.
- swordsnout grenadier. found in the Western-Center of the Atlantic and the Eastern Atlantic. they feed on crustaceans and small fish.
- tapar. found in European and Asian waters. they inhabit large rivers and freshwater lakes.
- uaru. found in South America. they feed on crustaceans and small fish, but eat plants to get their nutrients.
- vermilion snapper. found from the western Atlantic to southeastern Brazil. the adults prefer deep water and rocky bottoms.
- wahoo. found from New Jersey to Columbia. they travel in loose groups of fish rather than compact schools.
- x-ray tetra. found in South America. they feed on worms and small fish.
- yellow cichlid. found in lower river valleys in Central America.
- zander. found in Europe and Asia. they inhabit brackish lakes and rivers.
Sources
www.wideopenspaces.com
Editor: Luke Langlois
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