Trivia # 11 : Fish

• Three quarters of fish caught are eaten – the rest is used to make things such as glue, soap, margarine and fertilizer.
• The smallest fish is 1/3 inch long freshwater goby.  
• Goldfish lose their color if kept in dim light.
• Fish sleep with their eyes open.
• Flapping their fins, Hachetfish can fly out of the water for several feet.
• If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white.
• The Stone Fish is the most poisonous fish in the world.
• The Whale Shark is the biggest fish in the world. They weigh approximately twenty tons and can grow up to forty feet long.
• Fish do not blink due to the fact that they don’t have eyelids. This is okay for them really, as blinking is only useful for adding moisture to the eye and because fish live in water, they do not need the added moisture.
• The African fish, known as the elephant snout, sets out an electrical signal to communicate with other fish. It’s been said that it resembles Morse Code.
• Meat that comes from Fugu, or the spiny puffer fish, is a delicacy in Japan but chefs must be trained and certified before they serve it. This is because a portion of the fish’s intestines and liver can be toxic and deadly. Over one hundred people in Japan die every year due to eating toxic Fugu.
• The word “Fish” can refer to one fish or several. The plural “Fishes” is used more often to refer to several types of fish.
• The Sailfish is the fastest swimming fish, reaching speeds of 110 km per hour (68 mph).  
• It has been traditional to serve fish with a slice of lemon since the Middle Ages, when people believed that the fruit’s juice would dissolve any bones accidentally swallowed.