General

The oldest fish in the world survived to 112 years

Have you ever thought about how oldlive fish? Based on the fact that most of them have to live next to dangerous predators in very unpleasant conditions, one would think that they live no more than two or three years. However, this is far from the case - recently, 112-year-old fish was found in the waters of the US state of South Dakota. According to scientists, she was born in 1907, when the Titanic steamboat had not yet set off on its tragic voyage, and no one even suspected the imminent start of the First World War.

The fish found belongs to the species Largemouthbuffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus). The average life expectancy of representatives of this species is about 26 years. The found individual lived four times longer than most of its relatives and gained 22 kilograms of weight over its entire long life, which is very impressive for fish of this species. However, this is far from a record weight - in history there was a case when people caught a 30-pound individual.

Content

  • 1 How many fish live?
    • 1.1 Life expectancy of fish:
  • 2 Fish long-livers
  • 3 Why do fish not breed?
  • 4 Fishing for carps in the USA - why they do not like them?

How many fish live?

The life expectancy of fish depends on their species andtheir habitat. It is logical that tiny aquarium fish can survive for quite some time due to a safe environment - the main thing is that the owners clean the water in time and do not forget to feed them. Fish living in the wild constantly risk their lives because they can become prey for predators and fishermen.

Fish lifespan:

  • Pike - 7 years old;
  • Salmon - 15 years old;
  • Mackerel - 20 years;
  • Carp - 20 years old;
  • Perch - 23 years old;
  • Sturgeon - 100 years old.

For a long time it was considered that the most long-livedfish are pike. In particular, the authors of some books claimed that in 1794, fishermen caught a pike near Moscow, to whose gills there was a ring with the inscription “Tsar Boris Fedorovich planted”. It is known that Boris Godunov ruled from 1598 to 1605, that is, the pike was about 200 years old. Of course, due to the lack of any evidence, this story is just a legend.

Longevity fish

The fact that large-eared buffalo can live more100 years old, biologists have guessed for a long time. To make sure of this, from 2011 to 2018, they periodically caught these fish and determined their date of birth. Age was determined by the so-called otoliths - stone formations on the bodies of fish, which at regular intervals acquire new layers. By counting their number, you can determine the age of many fish and crustaceans.

This 112-year-old fish survived two wars.

In total, about 386 were caught and studied by scientists.fish. They were surprised because most of the large-buffalo buffalo were over 80 years old, and there were very few young individuals among them. Researchers quickly found the reason for the small number of young fish, having studied the history of the city of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, in the waters of which fish were caught.

Why don't fish breed?

It turned out that in the late 1930s the city wasa dam was built that blocked the fish from reaching their breeding grounds. In the end, it turned out that in the vicinity of the city practically no new fish were born and individuals born during the war almost always lived in the water. They were able to survive because they are almost never eaten and can only be caught for sporting purposes. Apparently, in Minnesota, sport fishing is not very developed.

Do you know from what disease a fish diet helps?

Fishing for Carps in the USA - Why Don't They Love Them

With all this, the large-eared buffalo carry a hugefavor local rivers. The fact is that they are actively destroying the carps that were imported to the United States in the 1970s from Kazakhstan's Lake Balkhash. Alien fish for American waters multiplied and began to eat local fish - some species are already on the verge of extinction. And the carps themselves are practically not interesting for Americans - if in Russia they are happy to catch and eat them, then in the USA they do not like them because of the abundance of seeds.

Skeleton of carp

As you can see, even such inconspicuous creatures asthe fish are still able to surprise us. Another amazing fish are the blue-headed thalassomas, whose females can turn into males in a very short time. It takes about 10 days to completely change their appearance and character. But the most interesting thing is that they change sex for a reason - there are extremely significant reasons for this.

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