Fish are one of the first vertebrates that came to life on this planet. They hold the basic blueprint for all different types of body structures found on the planet and has evolved into all sorts of unusual species.
The first record of evolution from fish to other species dates back 500 million years and now there are over 32,000 known species of fish in the world.
There are 3 main types of jawed fish that come from their jaw-less ancestors: Bony Fish, Plated Skin Fish, and Cartilaginous Fish.
Around 84% of all fish species come under the category of bony fish. 970 of the remaining species that we know of include chimeras, sharks, and rays while 108 are hagfish and lampreys. The Plated Skin Fish became extinct and only the hagfish and lampreys from that category are still alive today.
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Types of fish chart
1. Saltwater Fish
Sword Fish
Swordfish are commonly known as broadbills and are the only species in the Xiphiidae family. They are large predatory fish that migrate as the seasons change. They are popular sports fish and have elongated round bodies. They thrive in the temperate and tropical regions of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Ocean.
They use their long ‘sword’ to slash at prey, injuring the animal so that it is easier to catch and eat. Their long bodies make them agile and fast creatures, allowing them to catch their prey. They have been known to reach incredible speeds of 97 km/h. They can live up to 9 years if they are not hunted by humans for sport and food.
Atlantic Cod
The Atlantic Cod is part of the Gadidae family and is primarly hunted for food by humans. It is labeled as vulnerable by the ICUN due to over-fishing for human consumption. It can live up to 25 years and comes in green or brown colors with spots on the dorsal side.
It lives in habitats from the main continental shelf to the shoreline, which is why it is easier to catch in all sorts of waters. They usually have a length of 61 cm to 1.2 m and weigh up to 40 kg.
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name given to the pelagic fish which comes from the Scombridae family. They are found in tropical and temperate seas around the world and live offshore or along the coast.
They have black vertical stripes and migrate in large schools to ward off predators. They are preyed upon by Atlantic Cod and larger mackerel, as well as sharks, seabirds, whales, dolphins, and tuna.
They are commonly attacked by all sorts of predators since they are the perfect forage fish. They are captured in huge number by humans since they have a high Omega-3 oil content.
Trout
The Rainbow Trout fish is a species of the Salmonid family and lives in the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. It prefers the cold water and usually comes back to fresh water to spawn.
They are recognized by the broad reddish stripe on their lateral line which goes from the gills to the tail. The freshwater forms of Rainbow Trout are called steelhead and are the official state fish of Washington. They can weigh up to 2.3 Kg but different breeds can weigh up to 20 Kg.
They are hunted for sport and food in 45 different countries all over the world and introduced populations can affect the new habitat in an adverse manner. Their breeds are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
For a more detailed guide into Trout specifically, check out our article here.
Atlantic Salmon
The Atlantic salmon comes from the Salmonidae and is a ray-finned fish. It is found in the northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, and rives of the North Atlantic. They are hunted through commercial and recreational activities.
Alongside being hunted, habitat destruction has been the main reason for the reduction in their numbers. Many conservation efforts around the world are performed to save the species from imminent extinction.
Salmon are slightly territorial and may be aggressive to each other on occasion. They do form schools on a number of occasions. They are carnivores and eat mayflies, blackflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies.
Tuna
Tuna is a saltwater fish that belong to the Scombridae family. They have a total of 15 species where the sizes can vary including the bullet tuna and the Atlantic bluefin tuna. They can live up to 50 years on average and maintain a higher body temperature than the water around them.
They are an agile predator and swim fast due to their streamlined and sleek bodies. They are one of the fastest swimming pelagic fish, reaching records of up to 75 km/h. it is a popular game fish and due to overfishing many of its breeds are close to extinction.
Shark
The Great White Shark is a larger species of the mackerel shark and lives on the coastal surface waters in all the major oceans of the world. The shark is known for its size, with the females of the species being larger than their male counterparts.
They can grow up to 6.1 m and weigh almost 2,000 kg. They can live up to 70 years or more in the wild and take 26 years to reach sexual maturity.
The Great White Sharks has no natural predators other than the rare Killer Whales. They are the primary predators in marine mammals and are the only species under the genus of Carcharodon not to go extinct.
It is listed as a vulnerable species due to ecological challenges. They are feared among humans after being depicted as ‘man-eaters’ in popular films like Jaws, even though humans are not their preferred prey at all.
Red Mullet
The Red Mullet is commonly found in the Black Sea, eastern North Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. This demersal fish scavenges and scours along the seabed looking for crabs, shellfish, small lobsters, marine worms, and even dead fish to eat. They grow up to 18 inches and weigh around 550 g.
The Red Mullet is a beloved delicacy in the Mediterranean region where it is cooked in many different ways. Throughout history, the fish has been prized and was even reared by Ancient Romans in ponds.
Barramundi
The Barramundi fish is commonly known as the Asian Sea bass and is part of the Catadromous species. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region from Southeast Asia reaching upto Northern Australia. They are really popular in Thai cuisine and are called ‘pla kapong’ in the local language.
It has an elongated body, a large mouth, and an upper jaw that extends till behind the eye. They are found in saltwater as well as freshwater and are hunted for sport and food.
They can reach up to 1.8 m in length and weigh up to 60 Kg. They are demersal creatures and are found in rivers, lagoons, estuaries, and coastal water. They usually swim in turbid or clear water with a temperature range of 26 − 30 °C.
Mahi-Mahi
The Mahi-Mahi fish is commonly known as Dolphin Fish. It dwells onear the surface of the water and is a ray-finned fish. It is commonly found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate off-shore waters around the world.
They can live up to five years and are carnivores who feed on mackerel, squid, crabs, zooplankton and flying fish. It is one of the two family members of the Coryphaenidae family. Their name originates from the Hawaiian language and means ‘very strong’.
They have a single long dorsal fin that goes from their head and reaches their tail. The males have prominent foreheads while the females have a rounded head.
They have vibrant, dazzling colors consisting of golden flecks, bright blues, and deep greens. They change color when they are out of the water, where the golden fades to a muted yellow-grey as they approach death.
Anchovy
Anchovies are a really small, common foraging fish that belong to the Engraulidae family. They are found in marine waters but can also enter brackish waters. One species of the anchovies, native to South America, is even restricted to fresh water.
They have over 140 different species that reside in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Haddock
Haddock fish is a saltwater fish which is part of the family of Gadidae. It is native to the North Atlantic Ocean and surrounding seas. It is an important species for fisheries and is commonly bred in northern Europe.
They are popularly sold as frozen, smoked, and fresh food. It has a tapering, elongated body that resembles other codfish. It has a small mouth and a snout like profile. They have three dorsal fins and come in colors ranging from dark grey, brown, and black.
Red Seabream Fish
The Red Seabream is one of the two species of fish that belongs to the Sparidae family. The demersal lives in subtropical waters that have a depth range of 10-200 m. They are mostly found in the northeastern region of South China Sea.
They are considered as a delicacy in Japan where they are commonly called madai. The Red Seabream is eaten in Japan on important events and festivals like weddings and New Years eve.
The Seabream has an average length of 54 cm with the biggest recorded length of 100.0 cm and 9.7 kg weight. Its diet primarily consists of worms, mollusks, echinoderms, crustaceans, and other fish. The Red Seabream is found on reefs and shallow seas.
Gold Line Fish
The Gold Line fish is part of the sea bream species and is commonly known as the Salema porgy, cow bream, or dream fish. The fish has really unique golden stripes that run down the length of its body. The Gold Line isn’t consumed commercially since it has been deemed potentially unsafe since it induces hallucinations in humans.
They are known for the psychedelic effects they have on people which are reported as frightening and traumatic. These hallucinations are induced two hours after consuming the fish and lasts for almost 36 hours. The hallucinogenic symptoms come from its diet which consists of particular algae or phytoplankton.
Pollack
The Pollack fish comes from the genus of Pollachius and is found in the North Atlantic regions of the world. They usually live in rocky areas of the water and their juveniles can be found in rock pools. It is also known as the silver bill, saithe, or lythe.
They are ‘whitefish’ which can weigh up to 21 Kg and grow 105 cm in length. Their belly is white and have a greenish black color above their lateral line. They are commonly found in many restaurants all over Britain and Norway since they have a strong flavored white flesh.
Ocean Sunfish
The Ocean Sunfish is commonly known as the Mola Mola. It is the heaviest known bony fish and can weigh up to 1,000 Kg. They live in temperate and tropical waters all over the world. They have a laterally flattened body and can be as tall as they are long.
They mainly eat sea jellies that are nutritionally poor, which is why they eat large portions to maintain their mass. One spawn can include 300,000,000 eggs which are the most eggs among all known vertebrate.
Their natural predators are few but they can be eaten by sharks, killer whales, and sea lions. They are considered a delicacy by humans in some parts of the world like Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.
Northern Red Snapper
The Northern Red Snapper is native to the Atlantic Ocean and inhabits habitats around reefs and shipwrecks. They have a sloped profile and a laterally compressed body with spiny dorsal fins and large scales.
They have needle-like, sharp teeth and can live over 100 years. They can grow to 39 cm in length and weigh up to 38 kg. They are known for their vibrant light red color and have an intense pigment on the back which can fade with age. They have 10 dorsal spines, 2 anal spines, 14 dorsal rays, and 8-9 anal soft rays.
Bonito
Bonitos are a ray-finned, medium size predatory fish that belong to the family of Scombridae. They live in open waters that are at least 30m deep.
The Atlantic and Pacific bonito have a darkish color, and the meat usually has a firm texture and moderate fat content to it. They are usually eaten grilled, pickled as well as baked. A small or young bonito is usually lighter in color and is used as a cheap substitute for skipjack tuna.
The Atlantic Bonito is found in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. They are approximately 40–45 centimeters and weigh 1.8–2.3 kilograms. They have a maximum weight of 9.4 kilograms and a maximum length of 100 centimeters. The Bonito eats menhaden, alewives, silversides, mackerel, sand lances, squid, and other fishes.
Clown Fish
Clown Fish are actually called anemonefish and are part of the subfamily of Amphiprioninae. They can form symbiotic mutualisms in the wild with sea anemones. They can be orange, reddish, blackish, or yellow depending on the species and may have white bars or patches on their bodies.
They grow up from 7 cm to 16 cm and are native to cold waters like the Indian and the Pacific Ocean. Most of the clownfish species are restricted to smaller regions but some do spread across larger areas. They usually live at the bottom of sheltered reefs in shallow seas or shallow lagoons.
Check out our article “10 of the Most Beautiful Coral Reefs in the World” to see even more of these beautiful types of fish!
Clown Fish are protandrous hermaphrodite, which means that they can be female or male throughout their lives. Their numbers in captivity has increased after the release of popular films, Finding Nemo and Finding Dory where the two of the main characters were clownfish.
Emperor Angelfish
The Emperor Angelfish is a species of the marine angelfish and is native to the Austral Islands, Red Sea, Hawaii Islands, Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. It has a very stable population and is under no real threat of extinction, which may be due to the wide areas that it thrives in.
It is a carnivore and eats a diet of small invertebrates, sponge algae, and other plants. The male and female usually go up to the surface to mate and spawn. This sends the eggs along with the current to different regions of the world which decreases their chances of being eaten by predators in the reefs in deeper waters.
It has a unique pattern of brilliant colors and designs which makes it a favorite for aquarists, artists, and photographers. The Juveniles of the fish are dark blue in color with white and blue rings while the adults have blue and yellow strips and black eyes.
Bluefish
The Bluefish is the only remaining species of the Pomatomidae family. They are a marine pelagic fish and live in subtropical and temperate waters. They are caught for food and sport around the world. They have a broad, forked tail and have a moderately proportionate body.
They have a spiny first dorsal fin and pectoral fins that are folded back into the grove. They have a grayish blue-green color around the dorsal while their belly and lower sides are white. They can weigh up to 18 kg with an average weight of 9 kg.
They are very aggressive and strong as adults and thrive in loose groups. They are really fast swimmers that prey on forage fish and attack them in feed frenzies. They can ear menhaden, jacks, weakfish, grunts, anchovies, squid, and shrimp. They are cannibalistic by nature and even eat their own young.
Fish are a vast species that encompass the entire world. They live in every type of water body in every region of the world. Their main enemies are overfishing practices, ecological changes, temperature changes due to climate change, and other harmful human activities like dams and reservoirs.
It is important to respect their habitats and continue to explore underwater for more discoveries.
2. Freshwater Fish
Siamese Fighting Fish
One of the most beautiful species of fish in the world, the Siamese Fighting fish is also known as the Betta fish. It is popular in the aquarium trade since it comes in unique, vibrant colors. They are highly territorial and come from the Gourami family of fish.
Males are extremely aggressive and will fight to the death if another male Betta fish is released in the same tank. If the aquarium is too small, the females will also become hostile to other fish of the same species.
For more detailed information about Betta fish, check out our article here.
The Siamese Fighting fish are found in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. They live in rice paddies, canals, and floodplains. They are listed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species due to the aquarium trade.
Common Carp
The European carp is colloquially known as Common Carp and lives in fresh water beds such as large rivers and lakes all over Asia and Europe. The wild populations are still considered vulnerable by the IUCN, but the carp has been domesticated to different environments around the world.
They are an incredibly invasive species that can harm a new habitat if they aren’t controlled properly; they lay up to 300,000 eggs in a single spawn. They can live up to 47 years without any issue.
Goldfish
Goldfish are from the freshwater family and are one of the most common species used for aquariums. They are native to East Asia and their selective breeding began in Ancient China over a thousand years ago.
Different breeds have developed since then and they can vary in shape, body, fin, size, and even colors. They come in red, brown, white, yellow, orange, and black.
Oscar Fish
Oscar fish comes from the Cichlid family and is known by more common names like marble cichlid, velvet cichlid, and tiger Oscar. They are native to the tropical region of South America where they are often sold as food.
The fish has been domesticated to other regions of the United States, Australia, and China as well. It is also popularly used as aquarium fish in Europe and the US. They display territorial behavior and live up to 10-15 years.
Wels Catfish
The Wels catfish is also known as the Sheatfish and is a large species among catfish. It is native to Eastern, Southern, and Central Europe. It was first meant as a prized sports fish and is now found all over the Eurasia region.
It is a fish that lives in freshwater and is recognized due to its wide mouth, flat head, and long whisker-like features. They can live up to 60 years if there is an abundance of food and a low threat of predators.
NOTE: We have a detailed guide all about catfish specifically. Check it out here.
Sauger Fish
The Sauger Fish is a freshwater fish that belongs to the Percidae family. They are native to North America and form the biggest number of migratory percid in the area. They have two dorsal fins; one of the fins is spiny while the other is soft-rayed.
They are well-adapted predatory fish and have the ability to swim through fast current without much drag on their bodies. They grow up to 300 to 400 g in weight and are generally a dark brassy color.
Saugers typically live in large rivers that have pools with a depth of 0.6 m or more. This freshwater fish primarily depends on other fish for food and feeds on small fishes and invertebrate to survive.
The Saugers have faced depletion in their numbers due to habitat loss, overexploitation, migratory barriers, and entrainment in irrigation channels.
The Northern Pike
The Northern Pike is a carnivorous fish that comes from the genus of Esox. They live in fresh and brackish waters in the Northern Hemisphere and grow to a relatively large size. The average length is 40–55 cm while the biggest recorded Pike in the world was weighed in at 25kg in 1986.
They are olive green in colors and have white and yellow shading on their belly. They have a few dark spots on their fins and light spots on their flank. Their fins are sometimes red in color and due to a mutation among pike they can be found in a silver color with silvery blue spots.
Tench
The Tench fish is also commonly referred to as the Doctor fish. It is a brackish freshwater fish that is from the Cyprinid family. It is native to the region of Eurasia and can be found in the British islands to the Yenisei River. It lives in slow-moving water like lowland rivers and lakes.
They have olive-green skin and are shaped like common carp. Their tail fins are square and have fins that are round. The heaviest Tench was recorded being almost 7 Kg in 2001. The males are generally smaller than females and have slightly different fins.
European Eel
The European Eel is a snake-like, fish that is part of the catadromous category of fish. They reach up to 1.5 m in length and can live up to 80 years in captivity, with one recorded to live for 155 years.
It is categorized as critically endangered due to a decrease in its population of 90% in just the past 40 years. This is due to overfishing, parasites, natural changes in the water flow, and barriers to migration such as dams.
Learn about the specifics of eels and which ones ‘shock’ and which don’t in our detailed guide here.
Guppy
The Guppy fish is also popularly known as the Rainbow Fish or the Million fish. It is one of the most widely distributed tropical fish in the world. It is also a popular freshwater aquarium fish due to its vibrant, attractive colors on the tail and patterns of spots on the body.
They are very adaptable and can survive in many different ecological conditions and environments. They eat algae and insect larvae for food and have been introduced to habitats around the world. The female guppies have larger dorsal fins and caudal fins than the males.
To learn more about guppies and some interesting facts surrounding them, check out our article “44 Different Types of Guppies”.
Cisco Fish
The Cisco fish are from the genus of Coregonus. This salmonid fish differs from other salmon fish since their upper, and lower jaws are usually of the same length but have more gills than their counterparts. This freshwater fish recently evolved from the North American lake herring species.
They can grow up to 40 cm in length and weigh around five pounds, but on average they grow up to 28 to 38 cm long. The Cisco fish has a slender body that enables it to swim away from predators. The silvery fish has a really amazing pinkish iridescence on its sides that makes it unique.
This freshwater species survives on insect larvae, zooplankton, and even fish eggs and larvae. They can even survive on smaller fish like the minnow.
Black Crappie
The Pomoxis nigromaculatus is commonly known as the Black Crappie. It is a freshwater fish that reside in North America and is one of the two species of crappie fish. It is very similar to the white crappie expect that it is darker with a pattern of bluish-black spots.
Black Crappies have a silvery-gray body which has dark spots all over, making it distinct from other fish. They can grow up to a maximum length of 19.3 inches with a weight of 6 pounds. They are found in navigation pools in large rivers, borrow pits, reservoirs, and lakes in Canada and North America.
The Black Crappie usually feed on plankton and small crustaceans, but larger individuals are known to eat small fish like shad and minnows.
Brown Bullhead Catfish
The Ameiurus nebulosus, commonly known as the brown bullhead, is part of the Ictaluridae family. It is native to North America and is an important clan symbol for the Native American Ojibwe group.
The catfish can grow up to 21 inches in length and has a dark brown-green color. The fish doesn’t have any scales, and its belly is usually white or cream colored.
The Brown Bullhead is omnivorous, opportunistic bottom feeders and eats mollusks, algae, crustaceans, crayfish, insects, and other small fish. They have really poor eyesight and rely on their sensitive barbells to locate prey.
The catfish mostly live in slow-moving streams with low oxygen and muddy conditions. They can also be found in lakes and ponds.
For more info about catfish check out guide here.
Golden Shiner
The Golden Shiner is a cyprinid fish that is native to eastern North America and Quebec. It is mostly used as bait fish and is the most popular pond-cultured fish in the region. The Golden Shiner is very small and usually grows up to 7.5 and 12.5 cm. It has an olive or dark green color with a silvery white belly.
The freshwater fish usually eats insects, zooplankton, plants, and algae. They have sharp eyesight which they use to locate their prey. They have many predators, which is why they are popularly used as bait. They thrive in quiet waters like ditches, sloughs, ponds, and lakes. The Golden Shiner likes weedy areas and is tolerant of low oxygen content and turbidity.
Largemouth Bass
The Micropterus salmoides is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish. It is commonly known as the Largemouth Bass fish and is native to Northern Mexico and the United States. The bass is an olive-green fish, covered in dark black blotches.
The maximum recorded length for the Largemouth Bass fish was 29.5 inches and 25 pounds. They live up to 10-16 years depending on their environment and abundance of food. The bass usually survives on small baitfish, small shrimp, insects, and scuds.
Full-sized adults may also consume small fish, bats, salamanders, frogs, snakes, and crayfish. They are found in freshwater sources like rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The Largemouth Bass fish is an invasive species since they multiply rapidly.
Fathead Minnow
The Pimephales promelas is commonly known as the Fathead Minnow, and it is a temperate freshwater fish. It extends throughout North America till central Canada. It has also been introduced to several locations since it has proven to be an effective form of bait.
The Fathead Minnows are mainly found in small lakes, wetlands, and ponds, but they can also be found in larger streams and lakes.
The Minnow is best known for producing a distress signal called Schreckstoff when it is under attack. This signal warns the other Minnow fish in the area to flee. They are preyed upon by many fish including the Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and others.
The adult fathead minnows grow up to 2-3 inches in length and are omnivorous fish. They sift through the silt and dirt to find insects, crustaceans, zooplankton, and other aquatic invertebrates. The bottom detritus minnow fish also eats algae and phytoplankton to survive.
Walleye Fish
The Walleye is commonly known as the Yellow Pink and lives in Canada and North America. It is very similar to the blue walleye, which is now presumed to be extinct. They have a typical size of 30 to 50 cm, which is actually significantly less than their potential size.
The Walleye fish are carnivores that prey on yellow perch, ciscoes, crayfish, leeches, and minnows. They swim into bars and shoals at night to catch their prey.
They are hunted for their palatable taste, and it is easily caught at night since it has nocturnal feeding habits. Minnows are often used to lure in the fish.
Common Dace
The Leuciscus leuciscus is more commonly known as Common Dace. It is mainly a freshwater fish but can survive in brackish waters. It belongs to the family of Cyprinidae and can be found in northern Asia and north of the Alps in Europe.
It mainly thrives in streams and rivers and is used as bait in many regions. Dace prefer clear streams and generally stay in deep, still water.
Dace can grow to a maximum length of 40 cm and a maximum weight of 1 kg. They live up to 16 years and are abundant in number. The freshwater fish is preyed upon by larger predaceous fishes. They are actually lively, active fish who have plenty of gregarious habits.
They give pale yellow eggs and can be quite invasive in some area depending on the habitat. The Dace feed on insects, larvae, snails, worms, and even on rare occasion, vegetable matter.
Banded Killifish
The Banded Killifish is a North American species that belong to the genus of Fundulus. They are a temperate freshwater killifish that has an olive color on the dorsal fin and a white colored ventral fin. They have vertical silver-white and blackish stripes that run along the side of the fish.
The Banded Killifish have an average length range of 10 to 13 cm and only weigh a few grams. Female Killifish grow larger than males and have darker bands on the sides. This schooling fish travels in groups of 3-6 individuals, while juveniles usually travel in larger groups.
Their primary diet consists of mosquito larvae, and they are also known to feed on mollusks, insects, turbellarians, nymphs, and other smaller crustaceans — both juveniles and adult Killifish feed in the afternoon.
In 2005, they were listed as vulnerable species since their numbers have steadily depleted over the years. They face habitat degradation due to watercraft activities, industrial development, and a general decrease in aquatic vegetation.
European Chub
The Squalius cephalus is commonly known as the European Chub. It is a freshwater species that belongs to the carp family. The Chub is a stocky kind of fish that has a large rounded head. The long, cylindrical body is covered in greenish-brown scales and pale golden spots on the flanks. They grow up to 30 to 60 cm.
They live in moderate and slow rivers, canals, and other still waters. The Chub thrives in the barbell zones of the rivers where the pools and riffles are in a bigger number.
The juvenile fish are more social than the solitary adult Chub since it makes it easier for them to avoid predators. Chubs feed on worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and other insect larvae. Larger individuals also feed on minnows, frogs, common roach, dace, voles, small birds, and even berries.
Chub can be contaminated by microplastic and metal pollution. Particles such as plastic, copper, sodium, and magnesium are found in places where their habitat is exposed to garbage and industrial waste. The juveniles and the young are particularly prone to metal contamination, which can even affect their mortality rates.
Fish are a vast species that encompass the entire world. They live in every type of water body in every region of the world. Their main enemies are overfishing practices, ecological changes, temperature changes due to climate change, and other harmful human activities like dams and reservoirs.
It is important to respect their habitats and continue to explore underwater for more discoveries.
