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British Fish
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British Fish
Species
1
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23
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23
Anguilla anguilla
(Common eel)
The common or European eel has a very unusual and fascinating life cycle. Adults have long, narrow bodies, with a continuous dorsal...
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7 Images
4 Videos
Clupea harengus
(Atlantic herring)
Many people will be familiar with the herring as, for many years, it has been a staple of the fishmonger's slab. It is a shoaling...
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4 Images
3 Videos
Cobitis taenia
(Spined loach)
This small, bottom dwelling fish has an elongate flat-sided body, which is brownish grey in colour with dark patches to the flanks....
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3 Images
0 Videos
Coregonus albula
(Vendace)
This vendace is one of the UK's rarest freshwater fish; it is a small, streamlined and slim fish with a bluish green back, a white...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Cottus gobio
(Bullhead)
The bullhead is the only freshwater member of the family Cottidae that is native to the UK. It is a small fish, with a large mouth...
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4 Images
4 Videos
Cyprinus carpio
(Common carp)
The carp that occurs in Britain today is the most commercially important freshwater fish kept in ponds, and has been selectively...
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6 Images
4 Videos
Esox lucius
(Pike)
The pike is probably the coarse anglers most sought-after fish. It is predatory both in nature and appearance. The fish has a flat...
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10 Images
0 Videos
Gadus morhua
(Atlantic cod)
The cod is probably the best-known fish caught commercially in UK waters. In appearance, the head is rather disproportionately...
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9 Images
3 Videos
Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus
(Three-spined stickleback)
The stickleback is a well-known fish, and is the archetypal 'tiddler', the first small fish caught by many school children....
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11 Images
5 Videos
Gobius cobitis
(Giant goby)
Britain's largest native species of goby, the giant goby is greyish to olive brown with 'pepper and salt' freckling, which...
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1 Image
1 Video
Lampetra fluviatilis
(River lamprey)
Lampreys are some of the most primitive vertebrates alive today. They are known as cyclostomes, which means 'round mouths' and...
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5 Images
2 Videos
Lampetra planeri
(Brook lamprey)
Lampreys are some of the most primitive vertebrates alive today, they are known as cyclostomes, which means 'round mouths' and...
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1 Image
0 Videos
Lophius piscatorius
(Anglerfish)
The various names for this fish - anglerfish, monkfish, goosefish - point to the fact that it has a very unconventional appearance...
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11 Images
2 Videos
Merlangius merlangus
(Whiting)
The whiting is similar in appearance to its larger relatives the cod, the haddock, the coley and the pollack. It has three dorsal...
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5 Images
1 Video
Perca fluviatilis
(Perch)
The perch is a distinctive fish, with a deep greenish body marked with dark vertical bands, and the dorsal fin is stiffened with...
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8 Images
0 Videos
Petromyzon marinus
(Sea lamprey)
Lampreys are some of the most primitive vertebrates alive today, they are known as cyclostomes, which means 'round mouths' and...
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2 Images
0 Videos
Phoxinus phoxinus
(Minnow)
The minnow is a small, lively freshwater fish, with a greenish-brown back, which features darker spots that form an attractive...
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6 Images
5 Videos
Pleuronectes platessa
(European plaice)
The plaice is Europe's most important commercial flatfish. Adults have a roughly diamond-shaped outline, and are readily identified...
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7 Images
3 Videos
Rutilus rutilus
(Roach)
The roach is a common fish of fresh and brackish water, and one that is likely to be the most familiar to anglers. The eyes are...
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6 Images
0 Videos
Salmo salar
(Atlantic salmon)
The Atlantic salmon, 'the leaper', has been called the king of fish, due primarily to their spectacular ability to clear seemingly...
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6 Images
4 Videos
Salmo trutta fario
(Brown trout)
The brown trout is a beautiful fish, similar in general shape to the salmon; the back is dark, the sides pale, and both are flecked...
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8 Images
8 Videos
Scardinus erythrophthalmus
(Rudd)
This fish is often confused with the roach (Rutilus rutilus), as the two species are similar in appearance. In the rudd, the dorsal...
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5 Images
1 Video
Scomber scombrus
(Atlantic mackerel)
The Atlantic mackerel is a beautifully streamlined, fast-swimming fish. It has silver underparts and metallic green and blue...
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3 Images
1 Video
Species
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23
Latest news
3rd November 2009: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - Extinction crisis continues.
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What's new in ARKive
Rare images of the Critically Endangered cao-vit crested gibbon.
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An image of the Extinct longnose stubfoot toad.
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Fascinating footage of red kangaroo thermoregulation.
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The only known images of the Critically Endangered Eskimo curlew.
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Rare camera trap images of Diard's clouded leopard.
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Under the Sea
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the sea, reaching up to 10 metres in length.
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Leafy seadragons hatch from the male and will reach maturity within 2 years of life.
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The giant clam is the largest species of bivalve mollusc on fossil record and can weigh up to 300kg.
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Since the megamouth shark's discovery, only 17 sightings have been recorded of this elusive fish.
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Dusky dolphins are inquisitive creatures, as seen here investigating a southern right whale.
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