Fishy Facts

Did you know?

• Dwarf seahorses, found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, only grow to about 1 inch long.

• The pearl fish can spend most of its life inside the respiratory tract of a single sea cucumber.

• In deep sea hydrothermal vents, Riftia worms can grow to be more than 9 feet long. These worms have no mouth and no digestive tract; instead, they have symbiotic bacteria in their tissues that supply all their food.

• When disturbed, some sea cucumbers will expel their entire digestive tract, including their stomach and intestines. Eventually, they grow new ones.

• The largest marine sanctuary in the United States is located off the coast of Monterey, California. Covering about 5,300 square miles, the park is one of the richest areas of marine biodiversity in the country.

• The Southeastern Rivers and Streams ecoregion is a center of aquatic diversity—it’s home to more than 250 species of crayfish, more than 300 species of mussels, and more than half the freshwater fish species in the United States.