Fishes
Fishes are vertebrates that live on most aquatic environments. They are covered with scales and they have fins. Most of them are cold blooded. There are more than a thousand fish species – each is wonderful in their own way. Some are colorful, others are plain. Some are usual and some are odd-looking.
They are an important food source for humans. Some species are caught by people and raise them on ponds. While those ornate and colorful species are bought by enthusiasts and placed on aquaria.
Fishes have been an important part of human culture. Early people believed they were deities or gods. Furthermore, they were also subject for various literary compositions and art.
On this site, we feature here some of fishes that is rare and beautiful for their unique characteristics and traits.
Parrot Fish
The ocean is filled with many creatures - from usual to bizarre, plain to colorful, safe to venomous. Perhaps one of the most remarkable is the parrot fish. Unlike other marine animals who are only known for one or two features, the parrot fish is famed for its appearance, adaptation, unique abilities and other characteristics. One of the most surprising of a parrot fish is its ability to change its gender during its lifetime. In general, parrot fishes are sequential hermaphrodites. Initially, they are females and as they go through the terminal phase, they become male. There are also many species in which a male parrot fish is developed directly. There are also species whose females do not change into males during the terminal phase. They are called gonochorist.
Finally, there are some species who do not change their gender at all. Parrot fishes also undergo a series of change in their color called polychromatism. They usually have dull red or brown color during the initial phase which changes into vivid blue or green during the final stage. Also, juveniles have different color patterns than that of adults even though they belong to the same species. These omnivores main food is algae. They use their parrot-like beak to tear chunks of corals. Then, they would crush these corals using their teeth. After digesting their food, they would excrete the undigested corals which become sand. Parrot fishes are also known for their "pajama". At night, there are certain species which covers themselves with a transparent cocoon made from mucus. This mucus is released by an organ at the head of the fish. Scientists claim that by using their "pajama", their scent cannot be easily smelled by their predators.
Angler Fish
It is indeed ironic how a fish is named after an angler, a person who fishes with a fishing rod as a hobby. An angler fish is named so because of its recognizable dorsal spine which sticks out above its mouth - like a fishing pole! They also have a shiny, glow-in-the-dark flesh at the tip of their dorsal spine. This serves as a lure for their prey. Angler fishes have big mouths and pliant bodies. They also have sharp, translucent teeth inside their crescent-shaped mouths. Because of these physical characteristics, they can swallow a prey which is two times bigger than them. They live on the lonely, dark bottom of the Antarctic and Atlantic oceans. But there are some which live on shallow, tropical waters.
Sea horse
The equine characteristic of sea horses makes them one of the most unique sea creatures. Aside from having a horse-like head, they also have an unusual upright position. Another unique feature that they have is the coronet on their head. Just like a human's fingerprint, the sea horses' coronet is distinct in each individual. Sea horses are not horses though, they are, in fact, fishes. Also, they are poor swimmers, propelled by their dorsal fin. Their eyes can move independently of each other. They have a long snout which they use to suck up water and food. Most of the time, they are found resting, their tails wounding around an immobile object. 
Sea horses live in sheltered areas like sea grass beds, coral reefs, and mangroves. They are mostly found in warm, tropical and shallow waters. They have incredible camouflage and because of that, they can feed on preys within a short distance. They turn murky brown to adapt to their habitat or bright colors in unusual surroundings or social situations. They feed on planktonic crustaceans, small shrimps and tiny fishes.
Guitar Fish
When one reads about a guitar fish without seeing it, one would immediately conclude that it's shape is like that of a guitar. Looking at photographs of it, people would see that guitar fishes are distant cousins of rays. Their bodies are like the form of the aforementioned fishes and that of sharks. Their tails are shaped like that of rays while most of them have a flattened and triangular or shovel-shaped head. They have small and numerous teeth arranged in 60 to 70 rows.
Often traveling in large schools, guitar fishes are bottom feeders. They swim on ocean floors, feeding on crustaceans and small fishes. They are often found in tropical and shallow waters.
Guitar fishes are ovoviviparous. Ovoviviparity is a kind of reproduction wherein the eggs are retained inside the mother's body and their youngs hatch when the eggs leave.
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