Interesting facts about fish include…
- There are approximately 27,300 different species of fish known to man, as of 2015. However, there are other species that are unknown or that have yet been described.
- Some scientists estimate that there are around 31,500 species of fish on the planet.
- The world’s biggest fish is the whale shark, which can grow to be more than 50 feet in length. The basking shark runs a close second at 45 feet in length.
- The oldest primitive fish still alive today include lampreys and hagfishes, both of which are bottom-dwelling species that look much like eels. They date to the Carboniferous period, which was around 350,000 years ago.