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List of endangered fishes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Status iucn3.1 EN
Endangered (EN) species are considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Imagine a world where some of your favorite fish might disappear forever! That's what "endangered" means. It means a species is facing a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

In September 2016, a group called the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) looked at fish all over the world. They found that 643 different kinds of fish were endangered. That's about 4 out of every 100 fish species they checked! The IUCN also listed ten fish subspecies as endangered.

Sometimes, only certain groups of fish within a species are endangered. The IUCN found 24 such groups of fish that were in danger.

To be called endangered, a fish species must meet special rules set by the IUCN. These rules help scientists figure out which animals are in the most trouble. Even more serious are "critically endangered" species, which are at an even higher risk of disappearing. There are 1098 fish species that are either endangered or critically endangered.

It's also important to know that for many fish, we don't have enough information. About 3191 fish species (21% of those checked) are listed as "data deficient." This means we don't know enough about them to say if they are in danger or not. The IUCN says we should still pay attention to these fish, especially since they often live in small areas or have small populations, which can make them more vulnerable.

This article shares some of the fish species and subspecies that the IUCN has listed as endangered.

Cartilaginous Fishes

Cartilaginous fish like sharks and rays have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone.

These are fish with skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. Think of your nose or ears – that's cartilage! This group includes sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish. The IUCN has listed 124 of these amazing fish as endangered.

Sharks in Danger

Sharks are important ocean predators, but many are now endangered.

Prickly Sharks

Carpet Sharks

Ground Sharks

Mackerel Sharks

Dogfishes

Angel Sharks

Angel sharks are flat, shark-like fish that look a bit like rays.

  • Taiwan angelshark (Squatina formosa)

Skates and Rays in Trouble

Skates and rays are flat-bodied fish, often found on the seafloor.

Skates

Rays

Sawfish and Guitarfish

Sawfish have a long, toothed snout that looks like a saw. Guitarfish look like a mix between a shark and a ray.

Torpedo Rays

These rays can produce an electric shock!

  • West African torpedo (Torpedo mackayana)

Ray-finned Fishes

Ray-finned fish are the most common type of fish, with fins supported by bony rays.

This is the largest group of fish, with fins supported by bony rays. There are 592 species, ten subspecies, and three groups of ray-finned fish that are endangered.

Salmon and Trout

These fish are well-known for living in cold, clear waters.

Silversides

These are small, shiny fish often found in schools.

Toothcarps

These small fish are often found in freshwater habitats. There are 65 species and nine subspecies of toothcarp that are endangered.

Pupfish

Pupfish are tiny fish that can live in harsh environments like hot springs.

Nothobranchiids

These are often colorful killifish found in Africa.

  • Amiet's lyretail (Fundulopanchax amieti)

Poeciliids

This group includes popular aquarium fish like guppies and mollies.

  • Pecos gambusia (Gambusia nobilis)

Carps, Minnows, and Loaches

This is a very large group of freshwater fish. There are 245 endangered species in this group.

Hillstream Loaches

These fish are adapted to live in fast-flowing rivers and streams.

  • Anamalai loach (Homaloptera montana)

True Loaches

  • Zebra loach (Botia striata)
  • Dwarf loach (Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki)

Cyprinids

This huge family includes carps, minnows, and barbs.

Suckers

Suckers are freshwater fish with fleshy lips that help them feed from the bottom.

Catfishes

Catfishes are known for their whisker-like barbels around their mouths.

  • Wagur (Clarias magur)
  • Iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) - Despite its name, it's a type of catfish!
  • Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila) - A rare catfish that lives in caves.

Perch-like Fishes

This is a very diverse group, including many different kinds of fish. There are 133 species and one group of perch-like fish that are endangered.

Cichlids

Cichlids are a large family of fish, many of which are popular in aquariums.

  • Canara pearlspot (Etroplus canarensis)
  • Lake Magadi tilapia (Oreochromis alcalicus)

Darters

Darters are small, colorful fish found in freshwater streams.

Groupers

Groupers are large, predatory fish often found in coral reefs.

Gobies

Gobies are usually small fish, often found on the bottom of the sea or rivers.

  • Cayman cleaner goby (Elacatinus cayman)

Other Perciformes

Other Ray-finned Fishes

This section includes many other types of ray-finned fish that are endangered.

Lampreys

Lampreys are ancient, jawless fish that look a bit like eels.

  • Turkish brook lamprey (Lampetra lanceolata)

Hagfishes

Hagfishes are also ancient, jawless fish, known for producing a lot of slime!

  • Myxine paucidens

Images for kids

  • Chondrichthyes.jpg

    Cartilaginous fish like sharks and rays have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone.

  • Actinopterygii.jpg

    Ray-finned fish are the most common type of fish, with fins supported by bony rays.

See also

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List of endangered fishes Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.