Animalscaretips
Larger fish, fur seals and gentoo penguins are predators of the icefish. Icefish have evolved a variety of interesting physiological and biochemical adaptations that either permit survival in, or are possible only because of, the generally cold, stable seawater temperatures of the Southern Ocean.
- Is icefish edible?
- Why icefish can survive without Haemoglobin?
- What do cod icefish eat?
- What do mackerel icefish eat?
- What do Blackfin icefish eat?
- How did icefish get the antifreeze gene?
- Where are icefish found?
- How does oxygen get into icefish blood?
- Why are the icefish so unique among the vertebrates?
- What does Antarctic toothfish eat?
- How do icefish look?
- What is the most common fish in Antarctica?
- What do krill eat in Antarctica?
- How do antifreeze proteins keep icefish from freezing?
- What caused the evolution in the icefish?
- Who discovered the icefish?
Is icefish edible?
Fresh, oily flavor with medium texture and small flake. High fat content. Raw flesh is white and cooks up white.
Why icefish can survive without Haemoglobin?
A larger heart pumps more blood, and wider blood vessels let more blood flow through. These adaptations help blood circulate through the icefish's body more quickly. This makes it easier for the blood to deliver oxygen to cells, even without hemoglobin.
What do cod icefish eat?
Some southern cod-icefishes eat anything that comes their way. Others ambush small crustaceans and mollusks. Crustaceans (krus-TAY-shuns) are water-dwelling animals that have jointed legs and a hard shell but no backbone. Mollusks (MAH-lusks) are animals with a soft, unsegmented body that may or may not have a shell.
What do mackerel icefish eat?
This species has a maximum lifespan of 15 years and eats krill (making up more than 95% of the diet in more southerly areas) and mysids.
What do Blackfin icefish eat?
Blackfin icefish primarily eat smaller fish and krill, but have occasionally been found with crustaceans in their stomachs. Younger icefish tend to eat krill, and then switch to mackerel icefish when they grow (about 30 cm).
How did icefish get the antifreeze gene?
How did notothenioids "get" the gene for antifreeze proteins? The gene arose from random mutations. Students may include additional details from the film, such as the fact that another gene was duplicated and several mutations occurred in the duplication.
Where are icefish found?
Icefish populations are known to reside in the Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean, as well as the continental shelf waters surrounding Antarctica.
How does oxygen get into icefish blood?
These fish are the only ones known to have neither red blood cells nor hemoglobin pigments for transporting oxygen. Oxygen simply diffuses into their circulating blood plasma from the frigid seawater by way of the fish's enlarged gills and smooth skin.
Why are the icefish so unique among the vertebrates?
The icefish of the Channichthyidae family are unusual in several ways—they lack scales and have transparent bones, for example—but what stands out most is their so-called white blood, which is unique among vertebrates.
What does Antarctic toothfish eat?
5. The Patagonian toothfish's diet mostly consists of squid, crustaceans, and other fish.
How do icefish look?
These fish all have heads that look a little like a crocodile — so they are sometimes called crocodile icefishes. They have grayish, black or brown bodies, wide pectoral fins, and two dorsal fins that are supported by long, flexible spines. ... Another fairly unique trait for icefish is that they don't have scales.
What is the most common fish in Antarctica?
Antarctic cods (Notothenia)
One of the most abundant groups are the Notothenioids. They are also referred to Antarctic cods, although they are not true cods. These fish have an antifreeze in their blood which stops it from freezing despite their proximity to the ice.
What do krill eat in Antarctica?
For their own meals, Antarctic krill eat small plants like phytoplankton, as well as algae under the surface of sea ice. Krill have the ability to shrink their bodies and undergo long periods of starvation.
How do antifreeze proteins keep icefish from freezing?
The antifreeze molecules allow icefish to live in subfreezing water by plugging gaps in existing small ice crystals and preventing the attachment of more ice molecules. ... These proteins bind to and inhibit growth of ice crystals within body fluids through an absorption-inhibition process.
What caused the evolution in the icefish?
Their conclusion was simple: the antifreeze proteins were the evolutionary innovation that triggered the diversification of icefish. With their newly acquired cold resistance, the ancestral icefish and their descendants invaded the frigid waters of the Antarctic and multiplied. These ancestors were bottom dwellers.
Who discovered the icefish?
On December 1, 1927, zoologist Ditlef Rustad pulled ashore on Bouvet Island, 1,750 kilometers off the coast of Antarctica, as part of a Norwegian expedition to claim the remote, wind-whipped island as a whaling outpost. Later that month, casting nets into the frigid waters, Rustad hauled up a very strange-looking fish.
