In the realm of submarines, we encounter a variety of creatures, including fish, snails, shrimps, jellyfish, and even siphons. Interestingly, we know more about the underwater world than what lies above, making it a realm of mystery.
In this episode, our focus is solely on fish.
Have you ever considered why fish underwater exhibit a multitude of shapes rather than a single standard form? Let's ponder this question for a moment.
Imagine two fish: a common sea bass and a sole. How would you describe the differences in their shapes?
To aid in this exploration, consider that a sea bass resembles a traditional fish shape with a streamlined body, a mouth at the front, a prominent tail at the back, a spiny dorsal fin, and two fins near its gills. On the other hand, a sole presents a completely different shape, akin to a flattened and twisted piece of cheese, with its mouth, fins, and tail located in different positions.
So, why do fish exhibit these varying shapes? One significant factor is their environment. The specific zone of the water in which fish reside greatly influences their body shapes.
For instance, fish like tuna, found in the bright zone of the water, need to swim quickly to chase prey and evade predators. Their streamlined, spindle-like body shape is perfectly adapted for swift swimming.
In contrast, bottom-dwelling fish like turbot, which reside mainly in the sand, do not require high-speed swimming. As such, their fins and tail are not as functional as those of fish in brighter zones.
Various fish exhibit distinct body shapes, each tailored to their unique living and feeding habits. There are examples such as serpentine forms (Anguilliformes), torpedo or bullet forms (Fusiformes), flattened forms (Depressiformes), laterally flattened forms (Compressiformes). This is not have to be only bottom side of the fish; top side can be flat too.
The best example to be flattened form is Remora. These fish swims around the shark and keeps themself from enemies with size of shark. I’d like to give some specific examples to other body types; Anguillidae’s swims in between of the rocks that base of the sea, Fusiformes one swims fast and hunting at the littoral zone where is sun light come into, Depressiformes lives base of sea and burry themselves to the sand and they are really good at camouflage, Compressiformes swims in little and narrow lits easily.
Evolution and adaptation of the fish
Fish body shapes are not static and can change over time due to factors like climate change, food availability, and habitat alterations. Wherever the fish lives, where it hunts, where it hides, where it enters and exits, where it stirs; Its shape changes and transforms accordingly. Moreover, life and feeding habits affect not only the body shape of the fish, but also the location of its mouth, the shape and number of its fins, its tail, their number... All of them.
Just because fish have a certain shape today does not mean that they will have the same shape in the future. Let's see what climate changes, food availability, and habitat changes will show us.
