Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1 Introducing Fishes -- What are fishes? -- What is the plural of fish? -- How many kinds of fishes are there? -- Why are fishes important? -- What is the most important fish in America? -- Why should people care about fishes? -- Where do fishes live? -- What is the current classification of fishes? -- Why do we need a system of classification? -- What is a species? -- How are species arranged in a classification? -- What characterizes the major groups of bony fishes? -- When did fishes first evolve? -- What is the oldest fossil fish? -- 2 Form and Function of Fishes -- What are the largest and smallest living fishes? -- What is the shortest-lived fish? -- What is the longest-lived fish? -- Do all fishes have bones? -- Do all fishes have fins? -- Do all fishes have teeth? -- Do all fishes have scales? -- What is the metabolism of a fish? -- How do fishes breathe under water? -- How long can a fish live out of water? -- Can fishes breathe air? -- What is a gas bladder? -- What are lungfishes? -- Why do some fishes live in salt water and others in fresh water? -- Do fishes sleep? -- Can fishes see color? -- Can any fishes fly? -- What are electric fishes? -- Can any fishes produce light? -- 3 Fish Colors -- Why are so many fishes silver? -- What causes the different colors of fishes? -- Is there a reason for the color patterns of fishes? -- What color are a fish's eyes? -- Do fishes change colors as they grow? -- Do a fish's colors change in different seasons? -- Is there much geographic variation in the color of a fish species? -- 4 Fish Behavior -- Are fishes social? -- Why do fishes form schools? -- Do fishes fight? -- Do fishes bite people? -- How smart are fishes? -- Do fishes play? -- Do fishes talk? -- How do fishes avoid predators? -- 5 Fish Ecology -- Do fishes migrate?.

How many fish species live in rivers versus lakes? -- How many fish species live in the ocean? -- How far down in the ocean do fishes live? -- Which geographic regions have the most species of fishes? -- Are there fishes in the desert? -- Do fishes live in caves? -- How do fishes survive the winter? -- Do fishes get sick? -- How can you tell if a fish is sick? -- Are fishes good for the environment? -- 6 Reproduction and Development of Fishes -- How do fishes reproduce? -- Do all fishes lay eggs? -- Why do some fishes lay so many eggs but other fishes lay only a few? -- How long do female fishes hold eggs in their body? -- Where do fishes lay their eggs? -- Do fishes lay their eggs at the same time and in the same place every year? -- Do fishes breed only one time per year or once in their lives? -- What is a baby fish called? -- Are all the eggs in the nest full siblings? -- How is the sex of a fish determined? -- Do fishes care for their young? -- How fast do fishes grow? -- How can you tell the age of a fish? -- 7 Fish Foods and Feeding -- What do fishes eat? -- Do fishes chew their food? -- How do fishes find food? -- Are any fishes scavengers? -- How do fishes eat hard-shelled animals? -- Do fishes store their food? -- Do fishes use tools to obtain food? -- 8 Fishes and Humans -- Do fishes make good pets? -- What is the best way to take care of a pet fish? -- Do fishes feel pain? -- What should I do if I find an injured fish or a fish that looks diseased? -- How can I see fishes in the wild? -- Should people feed fishes? -- 9 Fish Problems (from a human viewpoint) -- Are some fishes pests? -- Can there be too many fishes in a lake or river? -- Do fishes kill ducks in ponds and other bodies of water? -- Are fishes dangerous to people or pets? -- Do fishes have diseases and are they contagious? -- Is it safe to eat fish?.

What should I do if I get injured by a fish? -- 10 Human Problems (from a fish's viewpoint) -- Are any fishes endangered? -- Will fishes be affected by global warming? -- Are fishes affected by pollution? -- Why do people hunt and eat fish? -- Is there such a thing as fish leather? -- Why do so many fishes die at once? -- Are boats dangerous for fishes? -- How are fishes affected by litter? -- What can an ordinary citizen do to help fishes? -- 11 Fishes in Stories and Literature -- What roles do fishes play in religion and mythology? -- What roles do fishes play in Western religions? -- Did early philosophers and naturalists mention fishes in their writings? -- Are fishes in fairy tales? -- What is gyotaku? -- What roles do fishes play in various cultures? -- What roles do fishes play in popular culture? -- What roles have fishes played in poetry and other literature? -- Do fishes have culture? -- 12 "Fishology" -- Who studies fishes? -- Which species of fishes are best known? -- Which species of fishes are least well known? -- How do scientists tell fishes apart? -- How do you become an ichthyologist? -- Appendix A: The Classification of Fishes -- Appendix B: Some Organizations That Promote Ichthyology and the Conservation of Fishes -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- W -- Y -- Z.