Zingel facts for kids
The zingel (scientific name: Zingel zingel) is a cool type of freshwater fish. It's a ray-finned fish, which means its fins are supported by bony rays. This fish belongs to the Percidae family, which also includes perches. You can find the zingel in fast-flowing rivers in southeastern Europe. It's also the main example for its group of fish, called Zingel.
Quick facts for kids Zingel |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Percidae |
| Genus: | Zingel |
| Species: |
Z. zingel
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| Binomial name | |
| Zingel zingel (Linnaeus, 1766)
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| Synonyms | |
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Contents
What Does the Zingel Look Like?
The zingel fish has two separate fins on its back. The first back fin has 13 to 15 strong spines. The second back fin has 18 to 20 soft rays. Its cheeks do not have any scales.
Zingel fish usually grow to be about 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long. The biggest zingel ever recorded was about 48 centimeters (19 inches) long!
Where Does the Zingel Live?
The zingel fish is special because it only lives in certain places. It is found in the river systems of the Danube and Dniestr rivers. These rivers are located in southeastern Europe.
You can find zingel fish in many countries. These include Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Zingel's Home and Habits
Where the Zingel Lives
Adult zingel fish love fast-flowing water. They live in the main parts of large rivers. They prefer areas where the water moves quickly.
How the Zingel Reproduces
Zingel fish lay their eggs, a process called spawning, during March and April. They like to lay their eggs on sandy river bottoms. Many females and males gather together to spawn.
Each female zingel fish lays about 5,000 sticky eggs. These eggs attach themselves to small stones and gravel on the riverbed.
What the Zingel Eats
Zingel fish are hunters! They eat different things that live in the water. Their diet includes aquatic insects, which are bugs that live in water. They also eat small crustaceans, like tiny shrimp. Sometimes, they even eat the eggs of other fish or smaller fish.
Naming the Zingel Fish
The zingel fish was first officially described in 1766. A famous scientist named Carl Linnaeus gave it the name Perca zingel. He found it in the Danube River in Germany. Later, another scientist named Hippolyte Cloquet created the group (genus) called Zingel. He decided that Zingel zingel would be the main example for this group.
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