Pearlfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pearlfish |
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| Echiodon rendahli | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Ophidiiformes |
| Suborder: | Ophidioidei |
| Family: | Carapidae Poey, 1867 |
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Pearlfish are ocean fish that belong to the family called Carapidae. These fish live in the warm, tropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean. You can find them deep in the ocean, sometimes as far down as 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet), near the edges of continents and underwater slopes.
Pearlfish are long and thin, with bodies that you can almost see through. They don't have scales. Their top fin (dorsal fin) has rays that are shorter than the rays on their bottom fin (anal fin). Most adult pearlfish live inside other sea creatures. Some live with their hosts without harming them, while others are parasites, meaning they live inside and eat parts of their hosts, like sea cucumbers. Baby pearlfish, called larvae, swim freely in the ocean.
What Do Pearlfish Look Like?
Pearlfish are known for their long, thin bodies. A cool fact about them is that the fin on their back is shorter than the fin underneath their body. Their bodies are see-through and don't have any scales, which makes them look a bit like eels.
The biggest pearlfish can grow to be about 50 centimeters (almost 20 inches) long. Pearlfish reproduce by laying small, oval-shaped eggs that are about 1 millimeter long.
Pearlfish Homes and Habits
Pearlfish are quite unique because most adult pearlfish live inside other sea creatures that don't have backbones. They often make their homes inside clams, starfish, or sea squirts. When they live this way, it's usually a type of symbiosis called commensalism. This means they live together without harming their host.
However, some types of pearlfish are parasitic on sea cucumbers. This means they live inside the sea cucumbers and eat some of their tissues, which can harm the sea cucumber. Pearlfish usually live alone or in pairs inside their hosts.
No matter how the adults live, the baby pearlfish (larvae) swim freely in the ocean. They float around with tiny plants and animals called plankton. You can often tell a pearlfish larva apart by a long, string-like part in front of its top fin, which sometimes has little bits attached to it.
Different Kinds of Pearlfish
Scientists divide pearlfish into different groups based on how they live with other creatures:
- Echiodon and Snyderidia - These pearlfish live freely in the ocean and don't live inside other animals.
- Carapus and Onuxodon - These pearlfish are commensal. They live inside other creatures like clams or starfish but don't harm them.
- Encheliophis - These pearlfish are parasitic. They live inside and feed on parts of their hosts, which include clams, sea cucumbers, and starfish found in shallow coral reefs.
See also
In Spanish: Perleros para niños
