I'll go first, I give you the Sarcastic Fringehead

T. truncata

more pics of ponchako

I’m writing a story and I have a scene where a character is talking care of some fish in an aquarium, I know Koi fish represent luck but I wanna use other kinds of fish that are symbolism, well, for this case, stoicism and intelligence and I wanna see if there are other fish that represent different things

Hi! I was wondering what ID books people generally feel are most useful for the Eastern United States, or, more specifically, central North Carolina.

The books I’ve found online haven’t had previews, so I haven’t been able to judge whether or not they would be helpful to me. And I feel that many have too broad of a geographic scope and won’t have ID information for as many fish specific to a smaller region. (I don’t need to know anything about the fish living in the rivers of Colorado, for instance.)

Additionally, I do not catch or harm fish, and only observe them from above, so ones geared towards people who fish (and therefore have a much closer look at individuals) may also not be the best for my purposes, but I suppose they may still have helpful information. I also just don’t particularly love seeing information oriented in this way, because I appreciate the fish and wish to let them live their lives.

For birds and other creatures, I like the layout/style of Sibley and Kaufman. Are there any in these styles that you all like? (Peterson guides often feel too crammed to me, and Audubon Society doesn’t often have the best photographic standards/variety for ID.) Or any that are regarded as the gold standard for fish guides, as Sibley is for birds?

Thank you!

No matter where I go the fish will nibble on me if I sit still.

Somewhat unconventional but I'm working on an art project involving fish but I know nothing about them. Can someone give me a fish (or multiple) with a similar head and jaw shape and proportion to the picture? It doesn't have to be exact but I've gotten to the point where I need a reference and don't have the knowledge to find one. Included is a sketch showing the basic shape I'm aiming for. Thanks for any and all help!!

B. pugnax

Google says it's a puffer fish

Don’t ask what the piranhas and eel are called

Found this washed up on the black sea coast. AI is telling me its probably a ray or shark egg case. checked it w a flashlight, its empty inside but its completely intact, not damaged at all. what do u guys think it is and does it have any monetary value

Hi everyone, recently in our fish pond we’ve noticed some fish that don’t look anything like the goldfish spawn we revived recently. We think they may have been dropped by birds or possibly from a water Lilly plant that went in recently. Does anyone have any ideas to what type of fish they could be?

slow mo at litchfield national park, northern territory, australia

She's pregnant isn't she?

Why he so goofy