FISH

Fish live all over the world, in the cold water of the Arctic as well as in warm tropical water
around the equator. Areas rich in fish are especially around the coastal shelves of the
Northern Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the western Pacific Ocean. Most of the worlds fish
live in salt water. They preferably live in areas where warm and cold currents meet. Some
types live in the warm tropical waters around coral reefs.
About 40% of all fish species are in fresh water. They include carp, catfish, trout or bass.
Some of them live in the clear water of rivers while others prefer muddy pond water. A few
types of fish can swim in both salt and fresh water. Salmon, for example, are born in fresh
water , migrate to the ocean and then return to fresh water to reproduce.
Fish have no neck. The head and body are combined to one. Most species have a skeleton
made of bone, only a few species have backbones made of cartilage. Most fish are shaped
like cigars or torpedoes, so that they can travel very quickly. Fish that swim near the ocean
floor are flat-shaped. Eels look like long snakes under water.
Fish are cold-blooded. Their body temperature changes with their surroundings. Almost all
fish have fins, instead of arms and legs, which they use for swimming. The skin of most fish
is made out of a special slippery substance. It is covered by small plates called scales. Some
scales have special cells that give fish a certain color.
Fish breathe oxygen from the water they live in. Gills on the side of a fishs head absorb
oxygen from the water and release carbon dioxide into it. Some animals in the oceans of the
world look like fish but are actually mammals. Dolphins and whales have lungs and must
come up to the surface for air.
Most fish eat meat, preferably other fish. They also eat plants, worms and algae. The largest
fish in the world consume huge masses of plankton. Fish have to protect themselves from
being eaten by other fish. They blend into their surroundings by changing their color or their
shape. Some fish are very fast swimmers and get away from their enemies very quickly.
Others release poisonous substances from their spines.
Although most fish are harmless to humans some will attack if provoked. Sharks attack
humans if they smell blood or if people make uncontrolled movements. Piranhas live in the
waters of the tropical rainforest. They attack their victims with their sharp teeth and tear their
flesh apart.
Fish reproduce by releasing male sperm and female eggs into the water at the same time.
The process of joining together is called spawning. Eggs are food for other fish. Many
females release hundreds of thousands of eggs to make sure that at least some of the young

ones can survive. Many fish leave their eggs after spawning. Some of them stay and protect
their eggs until they hatch. Salmon cover their eggs with sand and gravel.