Interesting Facts....

[CMKll]

Some interesting facts about fish:

Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years.

Fish were well established long before dinosaurs roamed the earth.

There are over 25,000 identified species of fish on the earth.

It is estimated that there may still be over 15,000 fish species that have not yet been identified.

There are more species of fish than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and animals combined.

40% of all fish species inhabit fresh water, yet less than .01% of the earth's water is fresh water.

The Spotted Climbing Perch is able to absorb oxygen from the air and will crawl over land using its strong pectoral fins.

Some fish like sharks do not posses an air bladder to help keep them afloat and must either swim continually or rest on the bottom.

Some fish make sounds by grating their teeth and others like some catfish make sounds from their air filled swim bladder.

Some species of fish can fly (glide) others can skip along the surface and others can even climb rock.

Fish have a specialized sense organ called the lateral line, which works much like radar and helps them navigate in dark or murky water.

The largest fish is the great Whale Shark, which can reach fifty feet in length.

The smallest fish is the Philippine Goby that is less than 1/3 of an inch when fully grown.

Some species of fish have skeletons made only of cartilage.

Fish have excellent senses of sight, touch, taste, and many possess a good sense of smell and 'hearing.'

Fish feel pain and suffer stress just like mammals and birds

 

[d9hp]

Cool! I dont think I have ever seen the Phillipine Goby, sounds cool

 

[SW Beginner]

Fish feel pain and suffer stress just like mammals and birds

Don't know if I agree with that one.

Latest school of thought: Fish lack the brains to feel pain

Concerned anglers and PETA should rest easy because, writing in the London Telegraph, Rajeev Syal reports that fish cannot feel pain. This was the conclusion of the largest study into piscine neurology which compared the nervous systems and responses of fish and mammals. The study has found that fishes' brains are not sufficiently developed to allow them to sense pain or fear.

The analysis is the work of James D Rose, a professor of zoology and physiology at the University of Wyoming, who has been working on questions of neurology for almost 30 years. Rose has examined data on the responses of animals to pain and stimulus from scores of studies collected over the past 15 years.

His report, published in the American journal Reviews of Fisheries Science, has concluded that awareness of pain depends on functions of specific regions of the cerebral cortex which fish do not possess.

Professor Rose, 60, said that previous studies which had indicated that fish can feel pain had confused nociception – that is responding to a threatening stimulus - with feeling pain.

"Pain is predicated on awareness," he said. "The key issue is the distinction between nociception and pain. A person who is anaesthetized in an operating theatre will still respond physically to an external stimulus, but he or she will not feel pain. Anyone who has seen a chicken with its head cut off will know that, while its body can respond to stimuli, it cannot be feeling pain."

Professor Rose said he was enormously concerned with the welfare of fish, but that campaigners should concentrate on ensuring that they were able to enjoy clean and well-managed rivers and seas.

Despite the findings of Professor Rose's study, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has invested heavily in an anti-angling campaign, said: "We believe that fishing is barbaric. Of course animals can feel pain. They have sensitivity, if only to avoid predators."

 

[CMKll]

Hmmm, Go figure,,,
I guess it depends how you look at it and I look at it as,,,
They have feelings too, ya know,,,
I thought or I want to believe that God gave all creatures sensitivity to all feelings and pain,,,
I also guess I shouldn't feel bad that I lose one, huh,,,
15 out of 16 ain't bad, hehe...
Just blew my bubble on that one, dude....

 

[jupiter]

Scientific theory is based on the principle of stated a thesis and working to prove/disprove it. As such, I can find any justification needed to prove fishes feel pain the same as I could prove they don't. One obscure study shouldn't sway your opinion one way or the other. As we share a similar ancestor with all vertebrates it would be lunacy to dismiss the idea that fishes can feel pain. Whether they interpret the pain the same as avian or mammalian is up for debate but until such proof arises (and it never will) we must assume fishes feel the same pain as we do.

You shouldn't use references to bureaucratic animal welfare groups to case a point. Their interests are not solely what they seem.

 

[CMKll]

Thanks Jup,,
Knew I can count on you to feel better,,,
You da Man...