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Fun Facts – Fish Facts
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Here is a list of fun facts about fish:
• Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years, whereas mammals have only been
on earth for roughly 200 millions years.
• There are over 27,000 identified species of fish on the earth and an estimated 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.
• Sailfish, Swordfish, and Marlin are the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph,
which is faster than the speed limits on most highways!
• Many Rockfish can live hundreds of years. Rougheye Rockfish are the longest known living fish
on earth and can live over 200 years! That means that a Rockfish on your dinner plate tonight
could have been alive when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on their famous
expedition in 1804 to explore unknown territories in the United States.
• Out of more than 360 species of Sharks, only a handful of species pose a potential threat to
humans. Did you know? Elephants (~500) and deer (~100) kill more people every year than
Sharks (~10)!
• A female Sunfish may lay 300,000,000 eggs at a single spawning season.
• A male Bangaii Cardinalfish will hold both eggs and babies in his mouth until the young are
ready to swim on their own. This process is known as "mouth brooding." Although it takes
several weeks, the male fish will not eat until the eggs hatch.
• Catfish have over 27,000 taste buds, whereas humans have only 9,000.
• African Lungfish are capable of living out of water for up to two years. They hibernate
underground and wait for the water level to rise.
• Goldfish can live for decades. The oldest known Goldfish, "Goldie," died in 2005 at 45 years of
age. The second oldest Goldfish was "Tish" who died at 43.
• The largest fish in the world is the Whale Shark. The largest recorded Whale Shark was 12.6 m
(41.5 ft) long, had a girth of 7 m (23 ft), and weighed more than 21,500 kg (47,300 lbs).
• Whale Sharks also lay the largest eggs of any animal. A Whale Shark egg measuring 35.6 cm (14
in) long was found in the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s.
• The largest predatory Shark is the great White Shark. The largest one ever caught was 11.3 m (37
ft) long and weighted over 10,909 kg (24,000 lbs).
• It takes approximately seven years for the average American Lobster to reach one pound.
• The largest Octopus in the world is the Pacific Giant Octopus. Although it is only about the size
of a pea when it is born, by the time it is two years old it can be 9.1 m (30 ft) across and weigh
68.2 kg (150 lbs).
• The Giant Squid is the largest creature without a backbone. It grows up to 16.8 m (55 ft) across
and weighs up to 2,722 kg (5,000 lbs). The Giant Squid also has the largest eyes of any animal
on earth, as they are sixteen times wider than human eyes, or more than 30.5 cm (1 ft) in
diameter.
