Ribbonfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ribbonfish |
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| Desmodema polystictum | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lampriformes |
| Suborder: | Taeniosomi |
| Family: | Trachipteridae |
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Desmodema |
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The ribbonfish are a type of fish that belong to the family called Trachipteridae. They are named ribbonfish because they are long, thin, and look like ribbons. These fish live in the open ocean, not near the bottom. You don't often see them alive because they usually live deep in the ocean. Sometimes, another fish called the red bandfish is also called a ribbonfish, but it is not related to the true ribbonfish from the Trachipteridae family.
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What Do Ribbonfish Look Like?
Ribbonfish are easy to spot because of their unique bodies. They have a long, flat body that looks like a tape. They also have a short head, a small mouth, and weak teeth.
Their Fins
- Dorsal Fin: A tall fin runs along their entire back.
- Anal Fin: They do not have an anal fin.
- Caudal Fin: If they have a tail fin, it is made of two parts. The top part is long and points upwards.
- Pectoral Fins: Their side fins are small.
- Pelvic Fins: These fins can have several rays, or just one very long ray.
Ribbonfish also have strong spines along their lateral line (a special sensory line on fish). Their skin has many small bumps.
Built for Deep Water
Ribbonfish have features that help them live in very deep parts of the ocean. Their fins, especially the thin skin connecting them, are very delicate and break easily. Young ribbonfish sometimes have extra-long fin rays, which are like long, thin parts of their fins, and these can even have small attachments.
Where Do Ribbonfish Live?
Ribbonfish have been found in many different oceans around the world. You can find them in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Bay of Bengal, near Mauritius, and in the Pacific Ocean.
Northern Atlantic Ribbonfish
The ribbonfish species found in the Atlantic Ocean often appear near northern coasts. This includes places like Iceland, Scandinavia, the Orkney Islands, and Scotland. In English, the north Atlantic species is sometimes called a deal fish. In Icelandic, it's called vogmær.
These fish are usually about 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 3.5 meters) long. However, some have been found to be over 20 feet long! They are often washed ashore by strong winter storms. Sometimes, the tide leaves them stranded on the beach. One scientist, S. Nilsson, saw a living ribbonfish in shallow water (about 4 to 5 meters deep) in Scandinavia. It was moving like a flatfish, with one side tilted upwards.
"Earthquake Fish" in Taiwan
In November 2007, a specific type of ribbonfish called Trachipterus ishikawae was found alive on a beach in Kenting, Taiwan. It had a 10-centimeter cut on its side, but people helped it return to deeper water.
This species, Trachipterus ishikawae, is often called "earthquake fish" in Taiwan. This is because people believe these fish appear after big earthquakes. They think the fish can sense changes on the ocean floor. For example, they were seen after a large earthquake in Hengchun in late 2006 and in Taitung in 2007. Many were also seen along the coast of Japan in March 2010. However, not all sightings of these fish happen after earthquakes.
