The biology of fishes

In warm oceans, flying fish jump out of the water, using their feather-like fins to soar up to 200 meters before returning to the ocean. That's 11 times faster than Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps. It can raise its back like a brake, stopping suddenly in the middle of swimming. Each of these visual features is made possible by the shape of the fish, which in many different species is a soft body, long fins and tail. Thousands of fish species share these characteristics, each introducing their own variations on the theme of survival in unique habitats. What drives these common fish behaviors, and what do they reveal about the more than 33,000 species of fish that live in the world's rivers, lakes and oceans?

Types of fishes

Fish can be divided into two main types, depending on the type of movement they require. The first is the movement of the caudal fin, and most fish species, about 85%, fall into this category. Here, the body and tail are the main moving parts, while the ailerons work to strengthen and guide the body. This design is ideal for most open water sports, which require speed, placement and control for consistent and efficient swimming. The Eels are at one end of the group. Known as anguilliform swimmers, their entire body vibrates to create a wave-like motion. Compared to anguilliform fish, species such as salmon and trout, called subcarangiforms, use about two-thirds of their body mass to travel, while carangiform swimmers , such as mackerel, use only about a third. As a general rule, the less movement a fish uses, the better its appearance. At the other end of the eel spectrum are ostraciiform species such as boxfish and thunniform swimmers such as tuna. In these fishes, it is the tail, also called caudal fins, that does the job. Tuna tail is attached to many muscles in its body. It lifts the body like an engine, using force to hit the fish like a ball at a speed of up to 69 kilometers per hour.

The second main group of fish relies on mid-fin and jointed locomotion, meaning that it is their fins that propel them through the water. The tip allows for precise and quick movement, so this impulse is often found in fish that must pass through complex habitats. Lower fish, like rays, fall into this group; Because of their large pectoral fins, they can quickly rise from the sea floor. This allows them to live in shallow seas without being affected by waves. Similarly, shallow-water flatfish use their entire body as a large fin to propel themselves on the sand. Sea lions do not have tails, so they move slowly by placing their fins as midfins. Many aquatic species share this pattern of movement, such as angelfish, surgeonfish and wrasse. Their focus on flippers took off their body lines, which many of them developed into unique and creative shapes as a result. Some fish in both groups seem to be disappearing. But if you look closely, you will find that these qualities are covered. Horses, for example, don't have a regular back, but use their flexible dorsal fins as a tail. A pufferfish can sometimes look like a death balloon, but if it wants to swim fast, it will retract its back. Handed fish look like they have legs, but in reality, these limb-like structures are fins modified to help them cross the ocean floor. For fish, movement is the basis of survival, so it has become a major driver of evolution.

Fish behavior is widespread among tens of thousands of species of fish, not to mention other marine animals, such as penguins, dolphins, sea slugs, and squid. And that is precisely because they are successful.