World's Tiniest Fish Discovered

[Jack]

I keep a species of very small fish, heterandria formosa (a native North American livebearer that rarely grows to over an inch), so this story really piqued my interest. Then again, I’m weird.

@Chicago Sun Times

BANGKOK, Thailand – Scientists have discovered the world’s smallest fish on record in an acidic peat swamp in Indonesia, with a see-through body and a head that is unprotected by a skeleton, researchers said Wednesday.

Mature females of the Paedocypris progenetica, a member of the carp family, grow only to 7.9 millimeters [0.31 inches] and the males have enlarged pelvic fins and exceptionally large muscles that may be used to grasp the females during copulation, researchers wrote in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

“This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” said Ralf Britz, zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London, who helped analyze the fish’s skeleton. “It’s tiny, it lives in acid and it has these bizarre grasping fins. I hope we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears completely.”

I wish I could find a picture of it, but I can’t seem to.

At any rate, here’s a picture of the fish I keep, which is small, but not as small as this one newly discovered:

That’s an adult female. The males are much smaller and shaped somewhat differently.

[I.D.10-t]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002762494_tinyfish26.html

[Jack]

@I.D.10-t

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002762494_tinyfish26.html

Thanks, mate!

[Flyingcursor]

I bet it took him hours to reel that one in.

[flanum]

just found the ideal rod and reel for that fish..! a pen-size rod/reel!

[I.D.10-t]

@flanum

just found the ideal rod and reel for that fish..! a pen-size rod/reel!

You are getting no where near my guppy tank!

[Jack]

Fishing is cruel and evil and seedy.

[Jerry_Freeman]

@Cranberry

Fishing is cruel and evil and seedy.

Yay! Cranberry’s back!

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Mitch]

@Cranberry

Fishing is cruel and evil and seedy.

Fishing is cruel, but fish are delicious! Cutting the heads off poor defenceless lettuce - now that’s evil

[Jack]

@Jerry Freeman

@Cranberry

Fishing is cruel and evil and seedy.

Yay! Cranberry’s back!

Best wishes,
Jerry

You are so wonderful. That made me smile.

[Jerry_Freeman]

@Cranberry

@Jerry Freeman

@Cranberry

Fishing is cruel and evil and seedy.

Yay! Cranberry’s back!

Best wishes,
Jerry

You are so wonderful. That made me smile.

Arleen still wants to know if the chihuahua is interested in the nurse job.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Jack]

@Jerry Freeman

@Cranberry

@Jerry Freeman

Yay! Cranberry’s back!

Best wishes,
Jerry

You are so wonderful. That made me smile.

Arleen still wants to know if the chihuahua is interested in the nurse job.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Well, I don’t know who’s chihuahua it is, I’m afraid. I found it randomly on the Internet.

My aunt and cousin have a chihuahua that looks like that one, though. She is constantly hopping up and down and screaming and scratching people with her machete toe nails. She is quite honestly the most neurotic little dog I’ve ever known.

[Jerry_Freeman]

@Cranberry

@Jerry Freeman

@Cranberry

You are so wonderful. That made me smile.

Arleen still wants to know if the chihuahua is interested in the nurse job.

Best wishes,
Jerry

Well, I don’t know who’s chihuahua it is, I’m afraid. I found it randomly on the Internet.

My aunt and cousin have a chihuahua that looks like that one, though. She is constantly hopping up and down and screaming and scratching people with her machete toe nails. She is quite honestly the most neurotic little dog I’ve ever known.

Oh, well.

It doesn’t sound like she’s the kind of nurse Arleen’s looking for. She already has one like that.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[spittin_in_the_wind]

They look about the size of the shrimp in my Ecosphere:

http://www.eco-sphere.com/

I got it a year ago for my birthday. Two out of the 3 shrimps are still alive and kicking!

Robin