Tom Greve - Saltwater Fish

2012 Rourke Publishing LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. www.rourkepublishing.com PHOTO CREDITS: : Dirk-jan Mattaar; Edited by Precious McKenzie Cover Design by Renee Brady
Interior Design by Tara Raymo Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Greve, Tom
Saltwater Fish / Tom Greve.
p. cm. -- (Eye to Eye with Animals)
ISBN 978-1-61741-774-0 (hard cover) (alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-61741-976-8 (soft cover)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924819 Rourke Publishing
Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota
060711
060711CL
Post Office Box 643328 Vero Beach, Florida 32964 Thousands of the Earths most creatures live in a place where humans wouldnt survive underwater! Water covers more than 70 percent of Earths surface.

Almost all of it is saltwater contained in the Earths oceans. Ninety-seven percent of the worlds water is saltwater. With such a vast mysterious, and, in some cases, downright strange group of animals. Scientists say there are many kinds of saltwater fish that have yet to be discovered. Saltwater fish live in an underwater world where activities like breathing, moving, and sleeping are totally different from animals that live on land. Fish breathe underwater using The bodies of most saltwater fish are covered in scales. Their bodies are kept warm or cold by the temperature of the water.To help them survey their habitat for many fish have eyes that allow them to see up, down, front, and back all at the same time. FREAKY FISH FACT Since their eyes are kept moist by the water, most fish have no eyelids. They sleep with their eyes open! Fish can either live in saltwater or freshwater.

Saltwater fish to life in water that has salt in it, like the ocean. Freshwater fish live in lakes, rivers, or streams where the water is virtually salt-free. Salmon live in the ocean but swim into riverbeds to lay their eggs. They are one of just a few kinds of fish that can adapt to both salt and fresh water. Saltwater fish adapt their behavior and appearance to whichever part of the ocean they live in, and to the dangers they face from predators. Puffer Fish are also known as Blowfish. FREAKY FISH FACT Puffer Fish have a highly developed method of warding off predators.

Scientists put saltwater fish into two main groups. Scientists put saltwater fish into two main groups.

In one group are fish that have jaws. This group is then divided between fish with bony skeletons, which include most kinds of fish, and fish that have skeletons made of , like sharks and rays. The second group includes fish without jaws, which include lamprey and hagfish. Tuna have jaws and a bony skeleton.Stingrays have jaws and skeletons made of cartilage.Lampreys are jaw-less fish. Their mouths are designed to suck instead of chew. The range of sizes among saltwater fish is incredible. The tiny dwarf goby fish is smaller than the end of a persons pinky finger.The worlds largest fish is the Whale Shark. The tiny dwarf goby fish is smaller than the end of a persons pinky finger.The worlds largest fish is the Whale Shark.

It can grow to be nearly 60 feet long (18 meters), but it mostly eats tiny sea creatures and small fish. FREAKY FISH FACT Dont let its name fool you. Whale Sharks, like all sharks, are fish. Whales and dolphins, however, are mammals. Near the oceans surface, there is sunlight and very little water pressure. But deep down, the ocean is dark and cold, with crushing pressure from all that water. Fish living in the deep ocean have made strange adaptations to survive in the harsh habitat.