Fun Fish Facts
Fish don't have the brains for pain. Fishes' brains are not developed enough to allow them to sense pain or fear. They lack specific regions of the cerebral cortex necessary to process such sensations or perceptions.
The male gafftopsail catfish starves himself for up to eight weeks while incubating about 50 eggs because he holds them in his mouth for their protection. This is known as mouthbrooding.
The myth about fish being brain food originated in the 19th century when Louis Agassiz, a Harvard University scientist, discovered phosphorus-containing compounds in human brains. Since fish contain huge amounts of phosphorus, he reasoned that eating more fish might increase the amount of these chemicals in the brain, thus enhancing one's mental abilities. However, research has demonstrated that the human body doesn't metabolize excess amounts of phosphorus.
Codfish were depicted on many of the first coins of the infant United States from 1776 until 1778.
Scientist Stewart Springer, a noted shark expert, was once bitten by an embryo sand tiger shark still in its mother.
The gurnard, a fish found in Florida, grunts when a thunderstorm is brewing, and it's said to be more reliable than meteorologists.
Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish genius who devised the naming system of living things, was a fervent believer in sea monsters, citing numerous reports of fishermen.
Fish can get seasick if they are stored aboard a rolling ship or shaken enough in a pail of water. One scientific experiment created waves in a fish bowl that resulted in seasick goldfish.
Of the more than 350 shark species, only 32 species have ever attacked humans.
Roman general Marc Antony lost a naval battle when sucker fish attached themselves to the oars of his ship, preventing his sailors from moving it.
Fishfalls, or a rain of fish falling from the sky, have occurred fairly often throughout the world, probably due to high winds or waterspouts that suck up fish and water and release them miles away. There are more than 70 Australian fish falls reports on rile dating from 1879 to 1997, on file.
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