Carnivorous fish. Types and diversity of predatory fish

How diverse is the world of aquatic animals, among which the fish of the Pisces class stands out! Its representatives are characterized by gill respiration throughout life in postembryonic development. He studies their special section of zoology - ichthyology. Fish live in the salt waters of the oceans and seas, as well as in freshwater areas. Among them, one can distinguish peaceful species and predators. The former feed on plant food. And predatory fish, as a rule, are omnivorous. Their diet includes other animals. Among them are fish, mammals, birds. Among the freshwater predators of this class are the following: catfish, burbot, pike, pike perch, perch, grayling, asp, eel, etc. Among the inhabitants of the sea spaces there are: shark, catfish, moray eel, stingray, barracuda, cod, saithe, pink salmon and many Others.

What is the difference between predatory fish?

What is the difference between peaceful fish species and predatory ones? First of all, in the diet. This was described above. And it is also known that predatory fish are distinguished by unusual greed and gluttony. Often they take so much food that they can not even digest it. Most predatory fish live in subtropical and tropical regions. This is due to the fact that many more mammals and herbivores live in warm waters, which constitute the main diet of carnivorous inhabitants of the sea depths. Still worth noting is the fact that predators are more intelligent than their victims. They are very inventive. Here you can remember the white shark - the most dangerous for humans among sharks. Scientists are sure that she is much smarter than a domestic cat. This was proved by experiments in the Bahamas, where these predators were fed with the help of automatic machines. They quickly figured out which keys to press to get food.

Catfish - the largest freshwater predator among fish

In our reservoirs there are many intelligent and fast carnivorous representatives of the class we are considering. This is the pike, and burbot, and asp, and perch and many others. Common catfish are scaly predatory freshwater fish. The length of his body often reaches 5 meters, and the weight - 400 kg. He lives, as a rule, in the rivers and lakes of the European part of our country. Some people incorrectly believe that this large predatory fish eats only spoiled food and carrion. However, catfish enjoys eating shellfish, freshwater animals and even birds. But his main prey is fish. Predator hunting at night. In the daytime he settles in deep holes and stumpy. There are cases when a catfish attacked a person.

Evolution of underwater predators

The world ocean is inhabited by a variety of creatures. Here, as on land, there is a constant struggle for survival. We need to get food, and protect ourselves and the young, and kill the enemy. During the evolution of predators have acquired powerful tools for hunting for their prey. Thus, an animal called the sea trait from the Squadron Squad has a kind of "antenna" with a build-up imitating a worm, in front of a huge jaw. During the hunt this predatory sea fish shakes it, luring a potential victim. As soon as the unsuspecting fish is nearby, the sea features swallows it whole. His usual diet consists of mullets, small sharks and even birds.

Morays, barracudas, stingrays. Dangerous inhabitants of the sea depths

The championship of potential danger for humans in the ocean remains, of course, for the sharks. They are capable of inflicting fatal wounds on swimmers with their powerful jaws. Barracuda and moray eels are equally dangerous for humans. These are large predatory fish found in many seas of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. The largest species among moray eels can reach 3 meters. The powerful jaws of these fish are equipped with sharp, ankle-shaped teeth. When attacked, this animal hangs on its victim like a bulldog. The bastards of moray eels are not poisonous. On her teeth there are bacteria that can cause infection. In many species of these fish, the body is covered with poisonous mucus, which adversely affects the human skin.

Barracudas live in warm seas. Outwardly they resemble large pikes. Rarely they reach a 2-meter length. Their jaws are equipped with large fangs. In case of attack, the victim receives lacerations, which then become inflamed. These predators are dangerous for people. There are cases of barracuda attack on a person. Especially dangerous is a flock of these large hunting predatory fish.

Skate-tailings are extremely dangerous for humans. These are benthic animals. Just because they never attack, only in case of protection. If the diver inadvertently steps on such a slope, he will immediately get a blow with his tail, on the basis of which a sharp spike is located. With this tool, fish can seriously injure a person and even kill.

White shark - the most dangerous water predator for humans

Carharodon is the second name of this dangerous inhabitant of the sea depths. The white shark is the largest predatory fish. Its length is often more than 6 meters, and weight - 1900 kg. Her usual diet is other fish, including squid and dolphins, as well as marine mammals and birds. Very dangerous for humans. It is she who is credited with most of the attacks of sharks on humans. These predatory fish are on the verge of extinction.

It is interesting

• The compression force of the shark's jaws is 500 kg / cm ² . Just a few bites will need to be done to her to dismember the human body. She can easily bite steel rods.
• These predators do not feel pain. In the body of a shark, a substance similar to that of opium is produced.
• The pregnancy of this fish lasts longer than in humans or other animals, for example, an elephant. Thus, a placental shark nurses its cub for 3.5 years.
• The predator can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. Even bottom sharks are able to move with acceleration up to 8 km / h. At the same time this fish can not brake.
• The largest shark reaches 12 meters, the smallest species is 15 cm.
• The problem of desalination of the world's ocean to these water predators is not terrible. The shark's organism produces a special substance regulating the salinity of water.
• On water, these fish are kept at the expense of their large liver.
• Sharks must constantly move to help their cardiac apparatus pump blood through the body. Even she can not sleep, otherwise she will suffocate or drown.
• The smell of a shark is one of the best on our planet.

Sailfish - the fastest fish in the world

Who is the fastest of the sea predators? Of course, a sailfish. She belongs to the group Okuniform. As a rule, it lives in warm seas. But some species can live in temperate latitudes. Its main distinctive feature is the presence of a tall and long fin on its back resembling a sail. It is a very active predator. In pursuit of production, he is able to reach speeds of up to 100 km / h. These fish feed on, mainly sardines, mackerel, mackerel, anchovies and so on. Catching predatory fish is a very interesting activity for anglers. Often, bait is used for this. Many anglers prefer sailing fish to spinning.

Piranha is one of the most dangerous predatory fish

Omnivorous, ready to tear to shreds in a few minutes all that falls into the zone of its habitat. So we imagine a piranha.

And what kind of she really is, this predatory river fish? Piranhas live in the rough waters of the Amazon River. It is a small fish, only 20 cm long. Piranha has a sharp sense of smell, as well as a large mouth, strewn with a series of terrible flat teeth. Individuals are flocking, very greedy. They prefer to hunt in large groups. Often hide in cover, waiting for an unsuspecting victim. They attack quickly, instantly. Extraction is eaten in a matter of seconds. The usual predator diet is fish, birds and mammals that come close to the water. This extremely aggressive river inhabitant has long attracted people's attention. Now several species of aquarium piranhas are shown. The most popular of them: a harmonious piranha, red paku, ordinary and lunar metinnis and others.

Deep sea predatory fish

It is difficult to imagine that there is life on the vast depths of the world's oceans. Here, in pitch darkness and under great pressure of water, there are predators. As a rule, they are small in size. Their body is devoid of scales and covered only with thin skin. Deep-sea fish have a very bizarre body shape. And almost all of them are predators. Their horrible toothy mouths testify to this. Some species look like a huge head with a big mouth, strewn with rows of terrible sharp teeth. Even the names of these strange inhabitants are very bizarre. The names of predatory fish, inhabiting a huge depth: fish-bagglot, grammatomystiya, galateatuma, bigot, hatchet, linofrin and others. These predators have adapted to live in conditions unbearable for other animals. With their huge mouths they grab prey, even if it is bigger than themselves, and swallow it whole.

Predators in the aquarium

Carnivorous representatives of the water depths always attracted human attention. Very many species of predatory fish were domesticated. Now their dwarf types are bred in aquariums. The most popular among them are piranhas, girinoheylus, cichlids and others. And in captivity they manifest their natural instincts. This should be taken into account when joint breeding in one aquarium of peaceful fish and predators.

It is impossible to settle together species similar in habits and conditions of detention. You can not let them starve. From the lack of food predatory aquarium fish can eat each other. It is very interesting to observe the behavior of cichlids. They have quite a lot of intelligence. These little fishes like to watch everything that happens outside the aquarium. They are able even to recognize their master, to react to some of his movements. Snakehead - another domesticated predator. His appearance is very colorful. He is able to do without water for a long time. Piranhas in captivity are more fearful than aggressive. With each loud knock or impact on the glass of the aquarium, they sink to the bottom and fight in convulsions. In order for these fishes to coexist with peaceful species, they must be provided with a full feed.

We have seen how diverse the world of carnivorous fish is in freshwater bodies and in the depths of the sea.