![]() ![]() Another is that fish are very old on the evolutionary scale. ![]() The animals in this group live in a variety of habitats ranging from coral reefs and kelp forests to rivers, streams, and the open ocean. One reason fish are so diverse is that 70 percent of the planet is covered in water. Others can find their prey and even navigate by detecting electrical charges. Many can detect motion in the water using a special row of scales with sensors known as the lateral line. Because water transmits sounds, disperses chemicals, and conducts electricity better than air, fish rely less on their vision and more on their hearing, taste, and smell. Some species, such as the weedy sea dragon, are so bizarre they seem almost unreal.įish have developed special senses, too. Whale sharks, the largest fish, give birth to live young and eat only tiny fish, squid, and plankton. Eels, by contrast, have worm-like bodies and exceedingly slimy skin. Fin fish like salmon have gills, are covered in scales, and reproduce by laying eggs. All fish share two traits: they live in water and they have a backbone-they are vertebrates.Īpart from these similarities, however, many of the species in this group differ markedly from one another. ![]()
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