Dedicated to all Zoologists

3. How fishes defend themselves???
 Fish protect themselves through color camouflage, poisonous spines,
stunning shocks and chemicals.
 Poison injected by teeth, or through barbs or spines is a useful defense
employed by catfish and scorpionfish.
 Some species, such as minnows, warn others in their group when they
release a chemical substance into the water.
 A Red Sea flounder releases a chemical so effective that even sharks
avoid them.

4. Fishes protect themselves by several ways, discussed below.
Staying in School
Schooling is one of the primary ways many fishes help defend themselves
from predators.
“Big fish eat little fish” so many small fishes gather in schools and they
look like a single large creature, and many predators tend to leave large
animals alone.

5. Sticking it to ’Em
 A variety of fishes use numerous sharp spines and armored scales to
help fend off predators.
 By swallowing a lot of water when alarmed, balloonfishes and
pufferfishes can inflate their bodies, erecting a number of very sharp
spines.
 The rigid and sharply pointed spines give an attacker an unpleasant
mouthful of “nails and needles” instead of an easy meal.

6. Poisons and Potions
 Scorpionfishes, lionfishes and stonefishes are equipped with a pair
of poison glands at the base of each of their many pectoral spines.
 When threatened these species can quickly lunge forward and use
these spines as venom-injecting needles to repel threats.
 The reef stonefish is thought to be the most highly venomous fish
in the world.

7. On the Fly
 More than 50 species of flying fishes use their ability to glide above the surface of the
ocean to escape predators such as tunas, billfish, sea lions, dolphins, sharks and more.
 Flying fishes are able to “jump” out of the water and then glide through the air over
considerable distances.
 When spread while airborne, their greatly enlarged pectoral creates an airfoil similar to
an airplane wing providing lift and enabling these fishes to glide.
 Those species that have four “wings” also have enlarged pelvic fins that provide
additional lift.
 Flying fish can glide for at least 325 feet (100 m), and they are occasionally seen as
high as 10 feet (3 m) above the surface.

8. Safe at Home
 Many fishes, including tilefishes, a variety of gobies and jawfishes, reside in
self-made burrows to where these fishes retreat when they detect danger.
 In some cases the burrows are rather elaborate and have several entrances and
exits meaning that a predator cannot just watch one opening and be ensured of
cornering its prey.
 Razorfishes don’t require a burrow. They can quickly bury themselves in sandy
bottoms.

9. Shock and Awe
 In comparison with other rays, electric rays are not fast swimmers.
 Nor are they armed with barbs like stingrays. But they are far from
defenseless.
 As their name suggests, electric rays are equipped with specialized
electricity-producing organs that can unleash powerful electric shocks that
help these rays protect themselves and stun prey.

10. Mimicry
 A variety of fishes such as the four eyes butterflyfish use a false eyespot to
confuse predators.
 The big, dark, conspicuous spot is on the back of the fish’s body above, but
near the tail.
 Specialists believe that the eyespot is intended to trick predators into thinking
that the fish’s tail is actually its head so the predator is likely to be fooled, the
butterflyfish swims when it attempts to evade the predator.