CARNIVOROUS FISHES - Types, names and examples

2024 Author: Carl Johnson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 06:19

Carnivorous Fish - Types, Names and Examples

Fish are animals that are distributed throughout the world, even in the most remote places of the plant we can find some kind of them. They are vertebrates that have endless adaptations for aquatic life, whether for s alt or fresh water. In addition, there is an immense variety in terms of sizes, shapes, colors, lifestyles and food. Focusing on the type of food, fish can be herbivores, omnivores, detritivores and carnivores, the latter being some of the most voracious predators that inhabit aquatic ecosystems.

Would you like to know what carnivorous fish are? In this article on our site we will tell you all about them, as well as the types, names and examples of carnivorous fish.

Characteristics of carnivorous fish

All groups of fish share general characteristics according to their origin, since they can be fish with ray fins or fish with fleshy fins. However, in the case of fish that exclusively base their diet on food of animal origin, there are other traits that differentiate them, among which we can name:

They have very sharp teeth that they use to hold their prey and also to tear their meat, this being the main characteristic of the fish carnivores. These can be located in one or more rows.
They use different hunting tactics, so there are species that can lie in wait, camouflaging themselves with the environment, and others that are active hunters and chase their prey until they find them.
They can be small like piranhas, for example, about 15 cm long, or large like some species of barracuda, which can reach 1.8 meters long.
They inhabit both fresh and marine waters, as well as in the depths, near the surface or in coral reefs.
Some species have spines covering part of their body with which they can inject poisonous toxins into their prey.

What do carnivorous fish eat?

This type of fish bases its diet on meat from other fish or other animals, generally smaller than them, although some species are capable of consuming larger fish or can do so because they hunt and feed in groups. Likewise, they can supplement their diet with other types of food, such as aquatic invertebrates, molluscs or crustaceans.

Carnivorous fish hunting techniques

As we mentioned, their hunting strategies are diverse, but they are based on two particular behaviors, which are pursuit or active hunting, where the species that use it are adapted to reach high speeds that allow them to catch their prey. Many species prefer to feed on large schools to ensure they catch at least a few fish safely, for example schools of sardines that are made up of thousands of individuals.

On the other hand, the stalking technique allows them to save energy that they would otherwise spend chasing the prey, allows them to wait many times camouflaged with the environment, hidden or even some species use decoys with which they They attract their potential prey. In this way, once it gets close enough, the fish must act quickly to catch its food. Many species are capable of catching much larger and whole fish, since they have protrusible mouths that allow them to open their mouths wider and increase their ability to swallow large prey.

Digestive system of carnivorous fish

Although all fish share many anatomical characteristics regarding the digestive system, it varies depending on the diet of each species. In the case of carnivorous fish, they generally have a shorter digestive tube than other fish Likewise, unlike herbivorous fish, for example, they have a stomach with the ability to distend that is formed by a glandular part, responsible for the secretion of juices, secreting hydrochloric acid, which favors digestion. In turn, the intestine is similar in length to that of other fish, but its structure is finger-shaped (they are the pyloric caeca), which allows the absorption surface of all nutrients to be increased.

Names and examples of carnivorous fish

There are many types of carnivorous fish that exist. They live in all the waters of the world and in all depths, so much so that there are species that we can only find in shallow waters or a few meters deep, such as those species that live in coral reefs, even species that inhabit the dark abyssal depths of the seas. Next, we will show you some examples of the most voracious carnivorous fish that live today.

Paiche (Arapaima gigas)

This fish from the Arapaimidae family is distributed from Peru to French Guiana, where it inhabits rivers of the Amazon basin, so it has the ability to move through areas with a lot of arboreal vegetation and in the dry seasons bury themselves in the mud. It is a large species, being able to reach three meters in length and up to more than 200 kilos, being one of the largest freshwater fish, after the sturgeon. Due to its ability to bury itself in the mud in times of drought, it can breathe atmospheric oxygen if it needs it thanks to the fact that its swim bladder is highly developed and acts as a lung, being able to hold out for more than 40 minutes.

Meet the most dangerous animals of the Amazon in this other article.

Carnivorous fish - Types, names and examples - Names and examples of carnivorous fish

Albacore tuna (Thunnus albacares)

This species of the Scombridae family is distributed in tropical and subtropical seas around the world (except the Mediterranean Sea), being a carnivorous fish that lives about 100 meters deep in warm waters. It is a species that reaches more than two meters in length and more than 200 kilos, which is being overexploited for gastronomy and for which it is categorized as a near threatened speciesIt has about two rows of tiny sharp teeth with which it hunts fish, molluscs and crustaceans, which it catches and swallows without chewing.

Meet the most endangered fish in this other article.

Dorado (Salminus brasiliensis)

Belonging to the Characidae family, the dorado inhabits the river basins of South America in areas with fast currents. The largest specimens can reach more than a meter in length and in Argentina it is a species widely used in sport fishing, which is why it is currently controlled, with closures during the reproductive season and respecting minimum sizes. It is a carnivorous fish very voracious that has sharp, small and conical teeth with which it tears the skin off its prey, feeding on larger fish and usually consuming crustaceans.

Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

The barracuda is one of the best-known carnivorous fish in the world, and with good reason. This fish is within the Sphyraenidae family and is distributed along the coasts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It has a conspicuous torpedo shape and can be over two meters long. Due to its voracity, in some places it is commonly called the sea tiger and it feeds on fish, shrimp, octopus, squid and other cephalopods. It is extremely fast, so it chases its prey until it finds it and then tears it apart, although curiously it does not consume the remains automatically, but once a time has passed, it returns and swims around the pieces of its prey to consume them when it decides to do so..

Orinoco piranha (Pygocentrus cariba)

When thinking of examples of carnivorous fish, the dreaded piranhas usually come to mind. From the Characidae family, this species of piranha lives in South America in the Orinoco River basin, hence its name. Its length ranges between 25 and 30 cm in length. Like other piranhas, this species is extremely aggressive with its potential prey, although if it does not feel threatened it does not pose a danger to humans, contrary to what is which is usually believed. Its mouth has small, sharp teeth that it uses to tear its prey to pieces and it is common for them to feed in groups, which makes them known for their voracity.

Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)

This is another species of piranha that belongs to the Serrasalmidae family and lives in tropical waters with temperatures around 25°. It is a species of about 34 cm in length and whose jaw is striking due to its prominent appearance and endowed with sharp teeth The coloration of the adult is silver and with a intense red, hence its name, while the youngest have black dots that later disappear. Most of its diet consists of other fish, but it may eventually consume other prey such as worms and insects.

Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Another of the world's best-known carnivorous fish is the great white shark. It is a Cartilaginous fish, that is, without a bony skeleton, which belongs to the Lamnidae family and is present in all the world's oceans, both in warm and warm. It has great robustness and, despite its name, the white color is only present on the belly and neck up to the tip of the snout. It reaches almost 7 meters and the females are larger than the males. It has a conical and elongated snout endowed with powerful and serrated teeth with which they catch their prey (mostly aquatic mammals, being able to consume carrion), and present along the entire jaw. In addition, they have more than one row of teeth, which are replaced as they are lost.

Globally, it is a species that is threatened and categorized as vulnerable, mainly due to sport fishing.

Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

This shark belongs to the Carcharhinidae family and lives in warm waters of all oceans. It is a medium-sized species, reaching about 3 meters in females. It has dark stripes on the sides of the body, which has earned it its name, although they decrease with the age of the individual. Its color is bluish, which allows it to perfectly camouflage itself and ambush its prey. It has sharp and serrated teeth at the tip, which is why it is an excellent turtle hunter, since it can break their shells, being in general a night hunterIn addition, it is called an apex predator, being able to attack people and anything it sees floating on the surface of the water.

European catfish (Silurus glanis)

The catfish belongs to the Siluridae family and is distributed in the large rivers of Central Europe, although it has now spread to other regions of Europe and has been introduced in many places. It is a kind of large carnivorous fish, so it can reach more than three meters in length.

Known for inhabiting muddier waters and being active at night. It feeds on all kinds of prey, even mammals or birds that it finds near the surface, and although it is a carnivorous species, can also consume carrion, for what can be said to be an opportunistic species.