fishenjoyer1

[fishenjoyer1]

not to sound like a weak, morally impure centrist over here, but i think online leftist communities need to be a little more accepting of the concept that most people are just. not that well informed. we live in a society that provides access to an overwhelming amount of information and yet which discourages actually diving into much beyond the surface level. Most of the people you meet out in the world are just not gonna know much about a lot of what you care about, but that's not the same as being against those things, or being unwilling to learn, or being unnamenable to those ideas. Our modern society is an unending cascade of information and misinformation and disinformation and filtering through that shit enough to actually have a solid grasp of a subject, let alone a nuanced antiestablishment political take, is a skill that takes time and effort to develop, time and effort that is in very short supply. It really bothers me when I see leftists talk about how capitalism keeps us down by taking up all our time and energy and making recovery, both physical and emotional, cost what little we can afford, and then turn around and get upset that people are politically uninformed. On some level, you gotta meet some people where they are, and have a little faith in them to be open to new ideas and information. Ignorance is not inherently intentional, and it's not the same as antipathy.

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Happy Tuesday, everybody! Today's fish of the day is the Devils river minnow!

The Devils river minnow, also known by scientific name Dionda diaboli, is a rarely found fish. Found in only three remaining locations across Texas and Mexico. Particularly: Val verde, and Kinney counties, Tx, and Coahuila, Mexico, throughout the Chihuahuan desert. Their habitat is found in areas across the Devils river, or Rio Grande meets spring waters, in the ecological transition zone. Clear, slow moving waters with little pollution, and fine gravel bottoms, through temperatures of 15° C to 31° C. As these areas are known for extreme drought conditions, as well as flash flooding, the devils river minnow may withstand fast waters during strife. It is believed their range used to be much larger, however it has been fragmented by extreme pollution, as well as extensive dam building throughout the rivers.  

The diet of these fish is lightly debated, as no one has seen them eat in the wild. However the shape of their gut, and stomach contents imply these fish feed near exclusively on algaes, and other vegetation. In captivity, they'll feed on brine shrimp as well, implying there may be zooplankton in their diet in the wild. Adult fish will gorw only 1-2 inches in length, making them easy prey. Particularly, to the invasive smallmouth bass, which is thought to be the reason the species, and similar species in the genus, have had dramatic decreases in population. These minnows can be visually found by the distinctive wedge shaped spot near the tail, as well the dark markings on the dorsal side, appearing as though they have a cross hatching pattern. 

Little is known about the reproduction of the Devils river minnow, but they're known from spawning from January through August. This long spawning season allows these fish the ability to have multiple batches of babies per season. These fish are visually distinct in spawning forms, female fish will remain their average colors, but male fish have tubercles across the head and pectoral fins. They're broadcast spawners, meaning they release eggs and milt to connect externally, once fertilized the eggs will fall to the bottom and incubate in the substrate for weeks to months. Once hatched, these fish will then mature quickly, ready to breed within a year, if they survive that is. beyond this. We know little of their life cycle, beyond that they live only 1-2 years. 

That's the Devil river minnow, everybody! Hope you have a good day!

[fishenjoyer1]

Heyyyyy fish enjoyers. My laptop charger killed itself so fish of the day is gonna be delayed until the replacement comes in the mail

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the shortnose gar! 

The shortnose gar, also known as the billy gar, and scientific name Lepisosteus platostomus, is a common ancient fish. This name comes from the relatively short snout, when compared to the other fish in the Lepisosteus family, with Lepososteus coming from the Greek words for "bony scale" and platostomus coming from the Greek words for "broad mouth". Found in and around the Mississippi river, ranging from Montana to Ohio, and then South down the river and its tributaries to Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama. These fish live in and around quiet pools and backwaters, as well as oxbow lakes. These fish prefer areas of calm warm water, although these fish are tolerant of higher turbidity than other gars. The shortnose gar can also be found in areas of very low oxygen, as these fish have a special and highly vascularized swim bladder, which allows them to take in oxygen through the mouth. This leads to a behaviour called "breaking", where these fish will come to the surface before opening and closing the mouth loudly. This gives them not only the ability to live in areas of low oxygen, rife with edible invertebrates, but also gives them the ability to survive outside of water for up to 24 hours. The shortnose gar fish are visually distinct from the other three Lepisosteus fish, as they have only one set of teeth (as opposed to the two sets found on alligator gar), a shorter snout than the longnose gar, and have little or indistinct spotted as compared to the spotted gar. 

The diet of the shortnose gar is primarily made of fish, however as opportunistic feeders they are often found consuming crayfish and insects as well. Young gar primarily eat insect larvae, although once they reach a size of 3cm they will begin feeding on minnows. When flooding occurs, they are also often found feeding terrestrial insects and amphibians they previously could not reach, and can occasionally be territorial over favorable pools during the periodical cicada bloom. As the smallest of the gar family, coming in at a whopping 28inches on average for a full grown adult, with the largest found being 32in, they're prone to eating the most invertebrates. Like all gars, these fish are stalking predators, rather than ambushes. They vibrate their fins in small movements, propelling them forward with little movement, before lunging out at prey. The teeth are not made for ripping or breaking up fish, but rather to make escape impossible until the fish goes limp, and the gar can swallow prey whole, headfirst. These fish are not easily predated on, as the hard diamond shaped scales and bony-esc armor make them a hard snack for larger fish. 

Shortnose gar spawn around May-July, depending on water temperature and conditions. Once the water reaches 60 degrees F, gar will begin to seek another out, although actual laying of eggs will only occur once waters reach 70 degrees or higher. Female gar can be found either in a paring with a male gar, or one female surrounded by multiple males. These eggs will be scattered onto vegetation or other submerged structures, where the bright yellow eggs are likely to not be eaten, as they are incredibly toxic to warm blooded animals. The eggs will hatch after 8 days, and young will become active a week after this, once the fry have finished absorbing the yolk sac. These young will spend a majority of their time first consuming small crustaceans and insect larvae at the surface of the water, where they are said to look like floating black matchsticks. Once these fish have reached an age of 3, and about 15 inches, they can begin breeding, with most surviving only 9 years, although one aquarium specimen survived for 20 before succumbing to old age. 

That's the shortnose gar, everybody! Have a wonderful day!

Sources: 

“Shortnose Gar.” Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/shortnose-gar.

“Shortnose Gar (Lepisosteus Platostomus).” RSS, tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/sng/.

Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish. “MTNHP.” Shortnose Gar, 2025, fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AFCBA01030.

“Lepisosteus Platostomus Summary Page.” FishBase, www.fishbase.se/summary/2597.

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the redfin darter!

The redfin darter, scientific name Etheostoma whipplei, is a rare American fish. Found in and around the South Central United states, around ozark mountains. Particularly in the four interconnecting borders of Southeastern Kansas, Northeastern Oklahoma, Southwestern Missouri, and Northern Arkansas. These fish are found around sandy and rocky pools, in headwaters, creeks and small rivers. Known for hiding in and around aquatic vegetation. The species name of this fish, whipplei, is taken from Lieutenant Whipple, an American military engineer who described many plants and animals. The genus name, Etheostoma, can be split into etheo, meaning to strain, and stoma, meaning mouth.

Like many darters, the redfin is an insectivore, foraging for aquatic flies primarily. With this diet these fish can get to a length of a whooping 3 inches, although most will remain a little under 2, a pretty average size within the darter family. They can be identified by the bright coloration found on breeding males, however female and juvenile fish lack these bright reds and blues. Many other nearby darters share the same breeding coloration, so a better distinction would be made by the 12 distinct parr marks, an enlarged black scale above the pectoral fins, and a dark scale pattern above the head shaped similar to a spear.

The redfin darter, similar to many darters, spawn between February and May, with a majority of fish spawning in late April. Found only in areas of clean gravel, with highly oxygenated, non polluted waters. Causing quite an issue for these fish, as streams become more polluted in the area by dams, pesticides, construction, and farm waste. Females will carry clutches of 31-207 eggs in a year, the mature of which are only 1mm in size. Males will reach the bright spawning colors well before females do, as they will use this to court female partners with a dancing pattern, showing off the bright colorations on the fins.

Have a wonderful day, everybody!

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today's fish of the day is the sixgill sawshark! 

The sixgill sawshark, also known by scientific name Pilotrema warreni, is a rare subtropical shark. Found in and around the Western Indian ocean close to the upper continental shelf of Southern Africa. Their range particularly stretches around South Africa to Madagascar. Found from a depth of 15-500 meters, although pups are found closer to the surface, as well as birthing mothers, and they will descend deeper into the water column as they age.This shark was once believed to be the only fish in the genus PIlotrema, which can be split into pleion, meaning more, and trema, meaning hole. Defined by their 6 gill slits, making them, for many years, the only shark outside of the Hexanchiformes sharks to possess more than 5 gills. At least, until 2020 when another 2 species in the genus were found;  Anna's sixgill sawshark, and Kaja's sixgill sawshark respectively. 

Like most sharks, the sixgill sawshark is a carnivore, with a diet made up primarily of small fish, although they're not opposed to the occasional crustacean, or squid. Equipped with electro sensors along the head, as well as barbels that extend down the head and rostrum, making these sharks particularly sensitive to the location of food sources. Once prey is located, these sharks will use the rostrum or "saw" to slice at, stun, and incapacitate prey. This method allows these sharks to get rather large for their family, with female sharks growing to 136cm maximum, and males reaching 112cm. However, despite being large for their family, these are still rather small sharks for the area, and they must remain vigilant, as tiger, and bull sharks have been seen catching and consuming the sixgill. 

Little is known about sawshark reproduction, beyond that they are ovoviviparous, and have 5-7 young per litter. 7-17 eggs are developed each pregnancy, but only a few will survive the womb, or the birth. Current data implies that these sharks breed annually, although there is no information as to courtship, we are aware that mothers will ascend to 5-50meters to give birth, where the pups will already be a whopping 35cm. These pups are then abandoned and left to age, descending as they grow, and hunting for larger fish. Maturity will occur at a size of 83cm for male sixgill, whereas females must reach 110cm, often taking multiple years. After this there is no information about their longevity, although it is suspected they likely live around 5-7 years, similar to other sharks in their family.  

That's the sixgill sawshark, everybody! have a wonderful day!

Sources:

     “Plitrema Warreni.” Worms - World Register of Marine Species - Pliotrema Warreni Regan, 1906, www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217372. 

     Six-Gill Sawshark | Pliotrema Warreni | Shark Database, www.sharkwater.com/shark-database/sharks/six-gill-sawshark/. 

     “Sixgill Sawsharks ~ Marinebio Conservation Society.” MarineBio Conservation Society, 21 May 2025, www.marinebio.org/species/sixgill-sawsharks/pliotrema-warreni/. 

     “Pliotrema Warreni Summary Page.” FishBase, www.fishbase.se/summary/Pliotrema-warreni.

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the leopard dace! 

The leopard dace, also known by the scientific name Rhinichthys falcatus, is a common fish in the Pacific Northwest. Their range extends from British Columbia down to Southern Oregon, from the Pacific ocean, as far east as central Idaho. Found in and around the Fraser and Columbia river, as well as Columbia river tributaries. Particularly the Willamette, Umatilla, and Snake rivers. Despite these rivers spreading further South, these fish are extremely limited by temperature limits, as these fish must be in cool, temperate waters below 23 degrees Celsius.  As opposed to other dace fish in the same regions, the leopard dace can be found in areas of slow, and deep moving water. Living in and around gravel runs of rivers and streams. When in lakes or ponds, these fish will cluster around the rocky margins of the shore. 

Daces are known for their insectivore diet, and the leopard dace is no different. Their diet is made up primarily of flies, and water bugs, although leopard dace fry and young consume primarily zooplankton and larvae until their first birthday. This diet allows them to get to a maximum size of 12cm (around 5 inches), although most will only achieve a length of 6cm before dying. As opposed to the many other dace in the region, you can differentiate the leopard dace by their irregular blotching patterns along the back and sides. This, as well as small barbels at the corner of the jaw help differentiate from closely related species, such as the longnose dace. 

Spawning takes place in the early summer, particularly in early July to August. Eggs will be dispersed in calm, cold streams with areas of fine gravel. These eggs have an adhesive along their membrane, and will settle to the bottom of the stream, preventing predation, as well as significant displacement down the river. Fry will hatch, and then emerge from the gravel weeks later, feeding exclusively on zooplankton. Once these fish reach their first September, they may begin feeding on adult insects, with all fish eating adults by their second birthday. These fish can live as long as 5 years, although there are records of some living to 9 years in captivity. Other than these details, little is known about the reproductive strategies, and life cycle of the humble leopard dace. 

That's the leopard dace, everybody! Have a wonderful day!

Sources:

     “Leopard Dace.” Oregon Sea Grant, 14 Sept. 2024, seagrant.oregonstate.edu/WRF/native-fishes/carp/leopard-dace. 

     “Rhinichthys Falcatus Summary Page.” FishBase, fishbase.se/summary/2946.      Hammerson, G. “Species Summary: Rhinichthys Falcatus Leopard Dace.” Species Summary, BC Conservation Data Centre, 28 Sept. 1993, a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/speciesSummary.do;jsessionid=7JyYVbbX2nNylFJBZjt22Q0LvdWW39wgY73LvkNsnG7FT0bfxWpJ!217898076?id=19993.

[fishenjoyer1]

Two new cavefish species of Triplophysa (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from the karst subterranean rivers of Yunnan, China

Jianhan Cao , Shuang Song , Wenjing Yi , Hongmei Xiang , Hongfu Yang , Jie Li , Wansheng Jiang

Abstract

Cavefish are of considerable interest owing to the remarkable adaptations for surviving in harsh subterranean conditions. These adaptations, often described as constructive traits or regressive features, reflect trade-offs in metabolic requirements and energy utilization in response to life in darkness. In this study, we describe two new cavefish species, Triplophysa yangi sp. nov. and Triplophysa wenshanensis sp. nov., from karst subterranean rivers in Yunnan Province, China.  Triplophysa yangi is distinguished from its congeners by its bilaterally expanded anterior swim bladder chambers, which protrude from the enlarged bony capsule, distending the lateral body wall and becoming externally visible. Additionally, it has highly developed pectoral and pelvic fins with filamentous extensions.  Triplophysa wenshanensis can be identified by its nearly cone-shaped head, triangular head profile, and light brown to flesh pink body colour with faint brown blotches. Molecular phylogenetic analysis places both species in the hypogean group of Triplophysa, increasing the number of cavefish species in this genus from 39 to 41. The most distinctive feature of T. yangi, its expanded anterior swim bladder chambers protruding beyond the enlarged bony capsules, might represent an innovative stygomorphic trait among Chinese cavefish. This trait is hypothesized to be associated with a unique energy-saving buoyancy mechanism, crucial for the ability of the species to remain suspended and survive in perpetual darkness.

Read the paper here: Two new cavefish species of Triplophysa (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from the karst subterranean rivers of Yunnan, China | Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | Oxford Academic

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the golden trout! 

The golden trout, sometimes called the California golden trout, scientific name Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita, is a subspecies of rainbow trout, and the state freshwater fish of California! Found in and around the Sierra Nevada mountains, this trout is native to the South Fork Kern river and golden trout creek. Originally these rivers were disconnected from the larger Kern river, allowing the golden trout to evolve alone and isolated from other salmonids. However, volcanic activity connected these rivers into a larger connected system, causing great threat to the golden trout as threats of hybridization with the cutthroat trout of the area. These golden trout thrive best in areas with deep pools, ample aquatic vegetation to hide within, and streamside cover. The golden trout is best known for their impressive elevations, being found naturally from 2,100-3,000 meters above sea level in their native range, but can be found stocked and thriving at elevations of 3,000-4,000m. 

Like all salmonids, these fish are known for feeding on invertebrates, particularly various flies, crustaceans, larvae, and other assorted zooplankton. This diet allows them to get to a respectable size of 6-12 inches in rivers and other bodies of moving water, however there are recorded golden trout of 16-18 inches in lakes. Golden trout are closely related to two other subspecies of rainbow trout also found in and around the Kern river and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Those being the little Kern golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss whitei), and the Kern river rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti) respectively. These subspecies are visually distinct with another, although there is significant cross breeding between the three and other trout, threatening their populations. The golden trout in particular can be identified by the distinct golden flank, red horizontal bands along the lateral line, and 10 dark parr marks on each side. This is distinct from the other rainbow trout subspecies, as the little Kern golden trout has greater spotting patterns along the back, as well as darker coloration, and a smaller maximum size. The Kern river rainbow trout are much closer in coloration to the average stocked rainbow trout, although this may be due to extensive hybridization, making it distinctive from the golden trout. ​

(pictured above, golden trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita)​

(pictured above, little Kern golden trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss whitei)​

(pictured above, Kern river rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti) 

Spawning season in these fish, as all salmonids, takes place between May-August, with the golden trout laying in the late June to early July. Unlike many other salmonids, these fish have a minimal migration. The golden trout will travel only within 10km in search of an appropriate area to lay. These fish search for areas of fine gravel, with little to no collected algaes on them, and slight oxygenated flow of water, dispersing fertilized eggs within the gravel, before adults will leave the breeding grounds. These eggs will hatch within 3 weeks, and the fry will spend another 2-3 weeks feeding on zooplankton before emerging from the gravel and beginning to feed on insect larvae. Within the first three years of their lives, these fish will grow to a size of 6-8 inches before becoming sexually mature and beginning to migrate toward their stream of birth, although not always spawning there. After this, these trout can live 6-7 years, with some in their natural habitat living as long as 9 before passing. 

That's the golden trout! Have a wonderful day!

Sources:

“Utah Natural Heritage Program.” Species Database - Utah Natural Heritage Program Field Guide, fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=oncorhynchus+mykiss+aguabonita.

“Conservation.” CDFW, wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Fishes/California-Golden-Trout.

“California Golden Trout.” NatureServe Explorer 2.0, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101620/Oncorhynchus_mykiss_aguabonita.

“Golden Trout.” Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/species/oncorhynchus-mykiss-aguabonita.

[fishenjoyer1]

fish enjoyers i am pleased to announce that i have officially FINISHED my summer term, which means i now have a break between terms and fish of the day will be consistently again, and perhaps some new post variants and youtube videos!

[fishenjoyer1]

epic tide pooling the other day

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the blue spotted pipefish 

The blue spotted pipefish, also known as the bluespeckled pipefish, and scientific name Hippichthys cyanospilos, is a common shoreline marine fish. Found in and around the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indo pacific in both marine, and freshwater environments. Their range stretches from the Eastern shore of Africa, and further East along the Persian Gulf before their range extends from as far North as Southern Japan islands, then across much of the Philippines and as far south as Northern Australia. Belonging to the Hippichthys family, which is known for their wide range of salinity tolerance, these fish are found across the marine shore, lower rivers, estuaries, mangrove roots, seagrasses, and along sand flats. Throughout these areas the bluespeckled pipefish, like many other pipefishes spend much if not all of their time hiding along vegetation. 

Like many pipefish, the blue spotted pipefish is a poor swimmer. As with many in this family, these fish have sacrificed the prehensile tail that is shared by their relative, the seahorse, in exchange for a caudal fin. This, along with the loss of many ribs and pelvic fin gives these fish a long streamlined body. Allowing both a better swimming experience than other Syngnathidae family members, but still incredibly poor overall. The loss of these bones, along with the elongation of the skull and vertebrae however has led to dense bony plates along their skin, protecting them from a majority of predators. These fish in particular can be identified from other freshwater pipefish from the unique blue, white, or yellow speckling as well as the dark colored bands and ridges that line their dorsal and ventral caudal tail area. Larger than most other pipefish, especially in their genus, the blue speckled pipefish comes in at a whopping 16cm maximum. Their diet along with what preys on them is poorly understood, but we do know these fish have a long mouth with no teeth that excels in sucking small plankton, particularly small planktonic crustaceans.   

Similar to their close relatives, the seahorses, pipefish are also ovoviviparous. Once pipefishes reach an appropriate age during the breeding season both male and female pipefishes will go through lengthy courtships. Each fish will do a "dance" to try and entice a mate, where in which the fish will wiggle and shake to show themselves not only as a good mate, but as interested in the creation of pups. If successful, the female pipefish will then use an ovipositor to move eggs into the male brooding area. Similar to seahorses, most male species have a particular brooding pouch, which is a straight pouch under the tail of this fish for housing the fertilized eggs (based). Other species of pipefish simply hold the eggs below the tail and aerate them however.

These brooding pouches are fascinating, several hundred villi that are rich in capillaries feed nutrients to the pups, creating a semi placenta. This brooding period will last only a week, during which the male will camouflage himself close to the seabed, and if he doesn't have enough nutrients to support the pups, the pouch will begin consuming them. After a week in the brooding patch the young hatch, and the ventral seal is undone, allowing for the pups to swim freely from their father. At this point the pups are ready for life, abandoning their parents, although these fish will often group in similar areas.

One advantage to male breeding pouches of this fashion is in allowing pups to transfer immune information from both the mother and father to the eggs, rather than the normal system which only gives immune information from the mother. Little is known about the particular breeding and reproductive info of individual species and many genus, as well as behavioral data. Despite this, we do know that the blue spotted pipefish are thought to possess the ability to make sound underwater, communicating with other nearby pipefishes. These fish are considered the lowest concern, despite very little population data, and are only threatened by loss of habitat along the coastline at a local level. 

That's the blue spotted pipefish, everybody! Have a wonderful day! 

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the blue spotted pipefish 

The blue spotted pipefish, also known as the bluespeckled pipefish, and scientific name Hippichthys cyanospilos, is a common shoreline marine fish. Found in and around the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indo pacific in both marine, and freshwater environments. Their range stretches from the Eastern shore of Africa, and further East along the Persian Gulf before their range extends from as far North as Southern Japan islands, then across much of the Philippines and as far south as Northern Australia. Belonging to the Hippichthys family, which is known for their wide range of salinity tolerance, these fish are found across the marine shore, lower rivers, estuaries, mangrove roots, seagrasses, and along sand flats. Throughout these areas the bluespeckled pipefish, like many other pipefishes spend much if not all of their time hiding along vegetation. 

Like many pipefish, the blue spotted pipefish is a poor swimmer. As with many in this family, these fish have sacrificed the prehensile tail that is shared by their relative, the seahorse, in exchange for a caudal fin. This, along with the loss of many ribs and pelvic fin gives these fish a long streamlined body. Allowing both a better swimming experience than other Syngnathidae family members, but still incredibly poor overall. The loss of these bones, along with the elongation of the skull and vertebrae however has led to dense bony plates along their skin, protecting them from a majority of predators. These fish in particular can be identified from other freshwater pipefish from the unique blue, white, or yellow speckling as well as the dark colored bands and ridges that line their dorsal and ventral caudal tail area. Larger than most other pipefish, especially in their genus, the blue speckled pipefish comes in at a whopping 16cm maximum. Their diet along with what preys on them is poorly understood, but we do know these fish have a long mouth with no teeth that excels in sucking small plankton, particularly small planktonic crustaceans.   

Similar to their close relatives, the seahorses, pipefish are also ovoviviparous. Once pipefishes reach an appropriate age during the breeding season both male and female pipefishes will go through lengthy courtships. Each fish will do a "dance" to try and entice a mate, where in which the fish will wiggle and shake to show themselves not only as a good mate, but as interested in the creation of pups. If successful, the female pipefish will then use an ovipositor to move eggs into the male brooding area. Similar to seahorses, most male species have a particular brooding pouch, which is a straight pouch under the tail of this fish for housing the fertilized eggs (based). Other species of pipefish simply hold the eggs below the tail and aerate them however.

These brooding pouches are fascinating, several hundred villi that are rich in capillaries feed nutrients to the pups, creating a semi placenta. This brooding period will last only a week, during which the male will camouflage himself close to the seabed, and if he doesn't have enough nutrients to support the pups, the pouch will begin consuming them. After a week in the brooding patch the young hatch, and the ventral seal is undone, allowing for the pups to swim freely from their father. At this point the pups are ready for life, abandoning their parents, although these fish will often group in similar areas.

One advantage to male breeding pouches of this fashion is in allowing pups to transfer immune information from both the mother and father to the eggs, rather than the normal system which only gives immune information from the mother. Little is known about the particular breeding and reproductive info of individual species and many genus, as well as behavioral data. Despite this, we do know that the blue spotted pipefish are thought to possess the ability to make sound underwater, communicating with other nearby pipefishes. These fish are considered the lowest concern, despite very little population data, and are only threatened by loss of habitat along the coastline at a local level. 

That's the blue spotted pipefish, everybody! Have a wonderful day! 

[fishenjoyer1]

ok Fish Enjoyers. I am officially stating that fish of the day is BACK this week!!!!! i am DONE moping and i am getting my life back together!! the fish will be Back this week.

[fishenjoyer1]

devil's hole pupfish are the rarest fish on earth. they are also the most inbred fish on earth! they live in ONE place, a hole in the ground called devils hole in nevada. and the thing is they can only survive in that hole, which is 93Fº. literally no other fish can survive in those conditions.

because of their tiny environmental niche, they're critically endangered, so there's a program working to breed them. but the thing is that these guys evolved SO WELL that the conditions they live in have to be exactly like devils hole, or else they straight-up just die, so scientists have needed to replicate the devils hole environment for them to survive.

last year science hippies counted 263 fish, which is a 19-year high!

npr | national park foundation | national wildlife federation | phys.org

photos from usfws national digital library, taken by olin feuerbacher

[fishenjoyer1]

why hasnt there been a fish of the day in weeks?

hey fish enjoyers.

sorry for the huge gap in fish as per recent. ive been going through some personal life stuff, as well as struggling through my summer calc 2 class.

fish will be returning soon! as soon as i manage to get a handle on everything

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the spotted garden eel! 

The spotted garden eel, known by scientific name Heteroconger hassi, is a common colony eel. Found in and around the Indo-Pacific in tropical and subtropical waters. Their range stretches from the Eastern coasts of Africa and the red sea spreading East. As far North as the Northern coast of Japan and as far South as New Caledonia! Living along the continental shelf, these fish are found at a depth of 15-45 meters, where they live in a burrow full time. These burrows can be found in sandy areas, and often in areas of seagrass and other foliage, where the eels will blend in. The spotted garden eel is only recently discovered in the world of fish, only found by an Australian scuba diver in the early 1900's, as they are known for dodging into their respective burrows at the first sign of movement from any given threat. These fish also duck into burrows at dusk, only returning at dawn when the light returns. 

The spotted garden eel lives in the burrow full time, with only a third of the eel exposed at any given time. The eels themselves can get as long as 40cm, or 16 inches, and they progressively dig their burrows throughout their lives. These eels move in a colony, each of them positioning themselves and their open maw to catch any and all zooplankton in the current. Identifiable from other, similar colony eels, these spotted garden eels have particular markings. Three distinctive spots, one on the gill opening, the second on the central body, and the third around the anus, although an exposed worm should only show off two of these spots well in the burrow. As these eels age, they will continually dig out their burrows using the long soft dorsal fin to sweep particles of sand out of the dens. After this, these eels will secrete a special mucus, allowing them to cement the walls in place, and preventing collapse. These eels are rarely predated on in the wild, as all eels can send out fascinating hormonal signals to warn one another. Despite this support net of the eel colony, all eels have a wonderful eyesight and sense of smell, giving them a warning well ahead of a threat. However, these eels can be too cautious, and in some cases will starve hidden inside of their dens, as they are accustomed to near constant feeding on the currents. 

The reproduction of these eels is strange, as the strict territorial behavior of these fish doesn't stop during the breeding season. Each eel, despite being colony eels, meaning they rely on the presence of other individuals to inform them of potential threats, along with needing other eels close by for reproduction, these eels have set territories. Only around a cubic foot around the burrow entrance. However, male and females alike do not allow other eels to get close to their burrows. However, as these eels never leave their burrows the breeding season is quite unique. Male eels, which can be visually differentiated by a larger jaw, will demonstrate their size, with the larger eels being permitted to stretch across the sand, and female eels doing the same. Until both of them are on neutral ground, here they will release eggs and sperm into the water. These fertilized eggs will then float until hatching, at which point they remain in a fry stage floating as plankton in the current until they can swim. Once they can swim these eels will find a colony of eels to burrow within! These colonies can reach numbers of hundreds to thousands. The juvenile eels, which are entirely black,  will then go on to slowly lose their coloration over time, living a full 35-40 years! 

Hope you enjoyed learning about the spotted garden eel!