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It’s one of the most basic biology facts we’re taught in school growing up: Birds and mammals are warm-blooded, while reptiles, amphibians and fish are cold-blooded. But new research is turning this well-known knowledge on its head with the discovery of the world’s first warm-blooded fish — the opah.
In a paper published today in Science, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describe the unique mechanism that enables the opah, a deepwater predatory fish, to keep its body warm. The secret lies in a specially designed set of blood vessels in the fish’s gills, which allows the fish to circulate warm blood throughout its entire body.
Some other types of fish, such as tuna, have similarly designed blood vessels in certain parts of their bodies, allowing for “regional endothermy” — warm-bloodedness that’s limited to certain organs or muscles, such as the eyes, liver or swimming muscles. But the opah is the only fish scientists know of that has this design in its gills, where most fish lose the majority of their body heat to the surrounding cold water.
originally posted by: soulpowertothendegree
a reply to: roaland
Do me a favor post a picture if you invite me to meet someone!
originally posted by: smurfy
originally posted by: soulpowertothendegree
a reply to: roaland
Do me a favor post a picture if you invite me to meet someone!
Here's the fat feller,
Just to add..it's cruelty now!
originally posted by: quercusrex
Now I wonder why some fish would evolve full warm bloodedness and others partial, organ specific warm bloodedness and some haven't evolved either usage. There are fish that have survived for eons (coelacanth) that have done just fine being cold blooded.
They are prized trophies for deep-water anglers as their large size and attractive form lend themselves well to taxidermy. Opahs are frequently caught as bycatch in many longline tuna fisheries.[2] Opah is becoming increasingly popular in seafood markets. It first became popular as a sushi and sashimi in the late 1980s and early 1990s.