Everyone knows that a whale is a very large animal, but whales are not fish, but mammals. They cannot be called the largest fish.

But among the fish, there are also large species that even in the name there is a comparison with a whale.

It's a whale shark the biggest fish. The body length of a whale shark can be up to fifteen meters, its weight can reach 10-12 tons. They are indeed comparable in size to some species of whales - for example, an adult gray whale is approximately the same size. The whale shark, despite its intimidating appearance, is completely harmless and feeds (also like many whales) on small marine organisms -.

Giant fish are not only among sharks. For example, a beluga, an inhabitant of the Caspian Sea, which comes to spawn in the fresh waters of rivers, can reach nine meters in length and weigh one and a half tons. And the largest of freshwater fish is the arapaima, which lives in the Amazon. This "fish" weighs up to 4 centners with a body length of 4.5 meters.

The largest of the bony fish is the moonfish. The length of her body is about 3 meters. But due to its rounded shape, it weighs up to 2 tons. But the smallest fish- this is at the same time the smallest of all vertebrates living on Earth. It is called the goby pandaka, lives in lakes in the Philippine Islands. The body length of this tiny creature is only 1 centimeter.

It is impossible to ignore another record holder among vertebrates. The string fish has an amazing ratio of length and width of the body. A sort of "worm", up to one and a half meters long, only 2 cm thick. Thus, the length of her body exceeds the width by 75 times!

A few more words about whales. Not all members of the whale group are large in size. For example, a piebald dolphin, the Russian name for Commerson's dolphin (dolphins are also representatives of the cetacean order) is not at all large, its body length is 120-150 centimeters, and its weight is 20-30 kilograms. Spotted dolphins live in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South America. And the largest dolphin, the killer whale, is also not impressive in its size compared to whales. The length of his body does not exceed 8-9 meters.

Whales and dolphins - and this is also a kind of record - are the only mammals that never go to land. Walruses, seals and other pinnipeds (mammals living in the aquatic environment almost constantly), although for a short time, but get ashore when the time comes to procreate.

But the whales - unless, having played out, jump out of the water with noise, and then immediately return to the element that has become their native element. But once their ancestors walked on dry land. What happened, what events forced them to go to sea forever, one can only guess about this.

In the photo, the largest fish in the world is the whale shark, and the smallest fish in the world is the pandak goby.

Miniature fish can be seen not only in small aquariums, they live in fresh water, and also live in salty sea water. What is most surprising, many of them are commercial.

The smallest river fish Among the small and light freshwater fish is the mystichthys goby, whose habitat is the lakes and rivers of the Philippines. This is a commercial fish. The length of the fish is about twelve and a half millimeters. Fish live in small flocks. The local population prefers to use these gobies, making delicious dried cakes out of them.

The bobbin fish is found in Russian rivers and lakes. Its size is also small. So, the length of the Aral nine-spined bobbin is only five centimeters. There is so much of it in reservoirs that it may well be commercial. This subspecies of bobbin is caught in the Baltic States and Finland. The bobbin processing field produces fat, which is used for technical needs. Bone meal is also obtained for poultry and livestock feed.

The smallest marine fish Of all marine fish, the pygmy goby has the shortest body. Its habitat is the Indo-Pacific region. It is known that the body length of females is only nine millimeters, and males are a tenth of a millimeter less.

The pygmy goby was also accidentally discovered in the Shetland Islands, which was a real discovery. However, it was not so small in size - the maximum length was twenty-four millimeters. The name of the fish is Gillett's goby. This goby is considered the smallest marine fish in Europe. Due to their small size and mysterious color, thanks to which they easily hide among shell fragments, it is extremely difficult to thoroughly study this species. To date, it is only known for certain that their habitat is the rough seabed.

It is impossible not to say about another variety of goby that lives in the seas and is the smallest marine commercial fish - this is sinarapan. These fish live on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The length of males does not exceed thirteen millimeters. Unfortunately, this species of goby is also on the verge of extinction.

In Russia, the smallest fish is the Caspian goby Berg. It belongs to the smallest subspecies of gobies. Its habitat is the bottom layers of the Caspian Sea. The length of such a fish usually does not exceed two centimeters. Sometimes it can be found in the lower reaches of the rivers flowing into the Caspian.

Small aquarium fish Usually small aquarium fish live in small aquariums installed in homes, shops or offices.

Here are some types of miniature aquarium fish. Rasbora Brigitte - this fish, even in wildlife, does not exceed two or three centimeters. Just as small are Rasbora Mera and Rasbora Spotted. The smallest of them is Rasbora Kroshka, whose length is no more than one and a half centimeters. No more than two centimeters - the size of the Rasbora Firefly fish.

In miniature aquariums, the dwarf Tetradon can often be seen. The male grows up to two and a half centimeters. The females are slightly larger. Small Pygmy catfish live in flocks in aquariums. The length of these fish is about two and a half centimeters. Another small schooling fish is the Microrasbora Galaxy. Its size is two and a half centimeters.

The nano-aquarium was created by Anatoly Konenko, a resident of the city of Omsk. Its volume is only two teaspoons of water. It is active, and fish live in it. Its inhabitants are zebrafish fry, the length of which is only four millimeters.

The smallest fish in the world The smallest representative of the class of mystichthys gobies is the pygmy pandaki. The place of its discovery is the swamp of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The weight of this "baby" is about four to five grams, and the length is about seven to nine millimeters. In the water, the fish are barely visible not only because of their size, but also because they are almost transparent and colorless. Pandaks are not only the smallest freshwater fish on the planet, they are also the smallest vertebrate in the world.

Their usual habitat is the Indo-Pacific region. Often these dwarf fish are found in the peat bogs of Indonesia and Sumatra. The choice of location is not accidental, the reason is the increased acidity, which exceeds the acidity of rainwater by a hundred times. In the seventies of the last century, studies of pandaks were carried out, which led to interesting discoveries. Due to their small size, the fish require little food. They feed on plankton at the bottom of water bodies. The short length of the fish little weight justified by the fact that her brain is deprived of part of the bone protection, females have much fewer eggs compared to other fish. There are so few eggs that the male is able to fertilize each of them individually.

The locals, despite the small size of the fish, eat them fried with many spices. Raba is also of interest to aquarists.

In the last few decades, such a direction as the nanoaquarium has begun to develop in the aquarium business. The name speaks for itself - these are small aquariums with a capacity of up to 30 liters, as a rule. Of course, special fish become the inhabitants of nanoaquariums - the smallest ones.

midget fish

Wildlife is diverse, there are a lot of unusual things in it. Who would have thought that the smallest fish in the world lives in water, the acidity of which is about 100 times higher than neutral rain water! But it is so.

The midget fish, only 8 millimeters long, is found in some of the Indonesian swamps of the island of Sumatra. Scientists, mistaking her at first for a fry, gave her a Latin name Paedocypris Progenetica, was classified as the closest relative of the known from the carp family, and recognized as the smallest vertebrate animal on the planet.

In order to survive in extreme conditions, evolution has rid Paedocypris Progenetica of many of the functional traits of the vast majority of fish:

• the body is almost transparent,
• the skeleton is made up of several tiny vertebrae,
• there is no sign of a cranium, rendering the miniature brain completely unprotected.

The female of this fish lays only a few eggs, almost no visible to the eye person. It is not known for sure whether such a fish is kept at home.

It is unlikely, because it requires very special conditions - very acidic water (pH = 3).

In the Philippines, there is another midget - mistichthys. Tiny 13mm gobies are well known to the locals who make delicious jerky out of them. Because of this, the fish is now less and less common and is on the verge of extinction.

The smallest fish in Europe is considered to be the Gillet's pygmy goby. This small living creature was found in the sea near the Shetland Islands. The fish has a color that allows it to easily merge with the bottom covered with shells, which makes it difficult to study its structure and habits well.

Rasboras - tiny inhabitants of aquariums

Rasboras, or as they are sometimes called, are the smallest known inhabitants of miniature aquariums. This does not apply to all varieties of these domestic fish.

Of course, there are parsings about 2.5 centimeters long. Giants among the pygmies! But Boraras micros (micro parsing, or baby), as well as Boraras naevus (nevus parsing) in adulthood do not exceed 13 mm.

Under natural conditions, these representatives of the carp family live in fresh water bodies of Southeast Asia with a weak current. It is thanks to the development that rasboras have become quite popular.

Fish are considered unpretentious, but water parameters for their maintenance are very important. The fact is that in nature they are accustomed to soft water with high acidity (the pH level is only 4 units), so at first they need to create similar conditions for them.

As a rule, peat is added to create an acidic environment.

Gradually, by changing the water, the level of acid-base balance is brought to 6-6.5 units, and the hardness of the water is normal for the area. It takes about two months for such acclimatization at home, and then the fish get used to the new water parameters. Its temperature must be maintained in the range from +24 to +28 degrees.

Rasboras are insectivorous animals. In a home aquarium, they can be fed frozen foods such as daphnia or brine shrimp.

But, according to the opinion of reputable aquarists, it is better to give live food to the parsing - nematodes (microworms, as they are also called). This is especially important if you plan to breed these aquarium babies. Of course, the food should be small.

In order for the fish to feel in conditions close to natural, the bottom of the aquarium is covered with tree leaves, and small snags are installed. Gradually, the leaves decompose in the water, becoming a habitat for various microorganisms.

The tannins released during decomposition help to reduce the hardness of water and change its color to a darker one.

There is no need to be surprised if in a nano-aquarium with rassbors, the aquatic environment in its color is a bit like tea.

Fish are usually kept in flocks of 6 to 15 individuals in aquariums with a capacity of no more than 30 liters.

Breeding Boraras micros

The likelihood of breeding is increased if the rasboras are fed live food. During the pairing period, the yellow color of the males becomes very bright, and the bodies of the females, on the contrary, turn pale, their abdomen swells.

The spawning of fish is so fast that it may not be noticed.

Eggs are usually deposited on leaves. aquarium plants. There are very few eggs in total, which the male takes care of at the first stage - from 12 to 18.

Immediately after the end of the incubation period, the male completely ceases to pay attention to the offspring. But this is not scary, since rasboras do not eat fry.

That is why there is no need to create any separate specific conditions for the spawning of these fish. Spawning is possible at any time of the year.

In principle, it is possible to keep a couple of rasboras - the smallest aquarium fish - in a liter nanoaquarium. But the aquarium from 15 liters will look most impressive, where there is enough space for a flock of these frisky babies. True, Boraras micros are quite rare in domestic pet stores.

What is the name: Paedocypris Progenetica | Length: 7.9mm

Weight: up to 5 g | Where does it live: swamps of Southeast Asia.

The smallest fish in the world, in addition to its tiny size, differs from its larger relatives in its unique body structure and specific habitat.

How were the babies found?

In 2006, an international team of scientists accidentally discovered tiny fish in a peat bog on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that the acidic waters of the swamps of Indonesia were not suitable for animal life. But after this discovery, biologists carefully studied the flora and fauna of the local swamps. As a result, many new species of plants and animals were discovered. Among them were the smallest fish in the world - Paedocypris Progenetica.

Unusual house of miniature fish

Tiny fish are found in Indonesia on two islands at once - Sumatra and Bintan. In both cases, their habitat is shaded areas of peat bogs, where the acidity of the water fluctuates within 3 pH.

The settlement in such an unusual place is explained by the possibility of swamps and, during a long drought, to preserve areas with cold water. A guarantee of the safety of the liquid is a layer of peat, which protects it from evaporation and heating. In addition to this, deep reservoirs are constantly replenished with fresh water from underground streams.

Thanks to small size fishes, they are able to survive the dry season even in a hole with a diameter of 5 cm. And partial shade and muddy water serve as an excellent shelter from larger inhabitants of the swamps.

Appearance of the champions

Tiny Paedocypris Progenetica outwardly look more like fry than full-fledged fish. And the reason for this is not only a miniature size. They are almost completely missing a skull, which makes their heads very vulnerable.

The smallest fish in the world - Paedocypris Progenetica

Through the transparent body of the smallest fish in the world, you can see their insides. Scientists explain the lack of scales and pigment in Paedocypris Progenetica by the desire of evolution to make them invisible to enemies and save the energy of the fish for procreation.

jewelry breeding

Due to their miniature size, females of this species can only carry 3-4 eggs. And in the males of Paedocypris Progenetica, a kind of hook is formed from keratinized cells in the pelvic area, which allows them to fix the female during mating. So nature took care of the maximum offspring of small fish, because during spawning, the male has to fertilize each egg separately, and this is a very delicate work.

What do mini fish eat?

Instead of the usual teeth, Paedocypris Progenetica has only bone tubercles on the jaw. But this is quite enough for the fish to eat planktonic rotifers and cladocerans that have settled on the bottom of the swamp, the size of which is from 0.06 to 0.5 mm. What characterizes the smallest fish in the world as skillful predators.

Existential Threats

The main danger for Paedocypris Progenetica is the destruction of their natural habitat. Indeed, after large-scale fires in 1997 in the peat bogs of Indonesia, the lion's share of the marshes were completely destroyed. In addition to fires, the areas of swamps are decreasing annually due to their intentional drainage to free up new areas for agricultural land and infrastructure.

Scientists claim that due to the careless treatment of swamps in Indonesia, dozens of populations of Paedocypris Progenetica have already been destroyed.

Title contenders

Having received two titles at once at the opening - the world's smallest fish and the smallest vertebrate, Paedocypris Progenetica made a lot of noise among biologists.

After that, several more miniature fish species were found, but the fact of their sexual maturity has not been scientifically confirmed. Thus, Paedocypris Progenetica is still considered the smallest fish on the planet.

• The size of this tiny fish is commensurate with a large mosquito.
• Paedocypris Progenetica was the world's smallest vertebrate from 2006 to 2012, before the discovery of the smallest frog.
• In the habitats of miniature fish, the acidity level is a hundred times higher than in rainwater.
• Prior to Paedocypris Progenetica, the Indo-Pacific Goby, at 8mm long, held the record for the smallest vertebrate.
• The smallest fish in Russia is Berg's goby, smallest size mature individual reaches 3.5 cm.
• Despite its miniature size, Paedocypris Progenetica is included in the diet of local residents. They roast it with lots of spices.
• The size of one egg of a tiny fish is in the range of 0.15-0.3 mm.
• After the official discovery of Paedocypris Progenetica fish, they have become popular pets. For their maintenance use a mini aquarium.
• Of the 67 freshwater species of miniature fish in Asia, 47 live in swamps, of which 31 species live in peat bogs.