ANIMAL GROUPS - FISH

• Fish are cold blooded.
• Fish lay eggs.
• Most fish are covered with scales.
• They have fins not legs.
• Fish live in water and breathe through gills.

HOW A FISH BREATHES
The fish takes water into its mouth. The water goes back through the gills. Then the gill cover at the side of the fish's head opens and the water runs out. This intake of water gives the fish oxygen.

If a fish is out of water for a while, it will die because the gills will not work unless the fish is in the water.

STRANGE FISH

There are many different kinds of fish. Some fish do strange things. Some fish look very strange.

• The flying fish is able to "fly" for a short distance.
• There is a fish that walks along the bottom of the sea.
• The Black Swallower can swallow fish that are much larger than itself.
• An Archer fish squirts at bugs to catch them.
• An Angler fish uses its nose to catch food. It has a flower-like growth on its nose.
• You can see through a Glass fish.
• A Mud Skipper can crawl.
• The Common Puffer can puff itself up to look like a balloon.
• The Electric Eel can send electrical shocks.
• There is a female fish that carries her eggs in her mouth.
• The Salmon can jump very high, and go up stream or over a waterfall.
• The male Pipefish (sea horse) takes care of the eggs, which hatch in a pouch on his stomach.

note:
Not all animals that live in water are fish.
Whales, dolphins and seals are mammals.
The sea turtle and other reptiles live in water.
Many amphibians live in water.