Do Fish ...

#1
... swim upside down?


Sorry if it's a retarded question, I am intrigued by the idea. I mean do they have a concept of gravity, or what is up or down? Swimming in the deep middle of the ocean it could be easy to loose that sense of direction, and end up going in all directions. But all I ever see is fish swimming upright ?
 
#2


Ok, I win, if anything other than the streethop awards most ridiculous question. I have found evidence of a fish that swims upside down. It is called the Carien de broekert fish, and no it is not austrailian. But sounds like something more found on German shores.
 

masta247

Well-Known Member
Staff member
#5
Fish has a place where it stores "air" (I don't know how it's called it english) and a thing that human do have in inner ear, I think those 2 things make fish realise what's her position (literally). Air storage thing keeps slightly pushing her "up". That thing in ears work in a similar way it works for us humans - the fact that we don't collapse while standing or walking.
 
#15
I have found evidence of a fish that swims upside down. It is called the Carien de broekert fish, and no it is not austrailian. But sounds like something more found on German shores.
Carien de Broekert is the name of the photographer, not the fish.

Fish has a place where it stores "air" (I don't know how it's called it english) and a thing that human do have in inner ear, I think those 2 things make fish realise what's her position (literally). Air storage thing keeps slightly pushing her "up". That thing in ears work in a similar way it works for us humans - the fact that we don't collapse while standing or walking.
Yeah, fish evolved a primitive lung-like organ called an air sac so that they could take in oxygen from the air when there wasn't enough in the water. Some fish then evolved into amphibians and this air sac became a fully-fledged lung. Other fish moved to more oxygen-rich waters where they didn't need to use the air sac as a respiratory organ, and the air sac evolved into a hydrostatic swim bladder, allowing them to remain at a certain depth in the water.

There are species of catfish that swim upside down near the surface, to compete for food, and then swim normally at greater depths.
 

Chronic

Well-Known Member
#18
When handling sharks people often turn them upside down. It puts them into a sort of comatose state.

Pretty sure Illuminattile has the right answers. There might be particular species that can swim upside down but in general they don't. And if they do, it's a sign that something is wrong.
 
#19
LOL@ this thread, but since the question was asked. Yes there are fish that swim "upside down". Being that i worked with this type of fish directly, I only know of one of the types that do. but it is an "Upside Down Catfish". If you look it up you can find pictures and information about it.
 

Preach

Well-Known Member
#20
some fish swim sideways i believe. i've also seen fish that in no way resemble what most people think of as a fish, yet they have characteristics that make them something more than just a jellyfish or squid. i think. i'm on vacation so if this thread is still surfacing when i return i might consider suggesting someone look it up.
 

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