• Question: why do fish have scales

    Asked by to Thon, James, Natalie, Shaylon on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: James Bell

      James Bell answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Fish have scales to reduce their drag in the water (i.e. the amount of effort it takes them to swim from A to B).

      – this link is for an electron microscope image of a shark’s skin. As you’ll see it’s made up of lots of tiny scales that look a bit like teeth. They are shaped like this to break up the flow of water that’s in contact their bodies and thus reduce their drag (because of complicated fluid mechanical reasons that I probably couldn’t explain properly to you if I tried)

    • Photo: Natalie Pilakouta

      Natalie Pilakouta answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      The scales also provide external protection to the body (for example fish might scratch against a rock or a coral). The scales are like a “suit of armour”

    • Photo: Shaylon Stolk

      Shaylon Stolk answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Fish also use their scales to communicate to other fish or for camoflage.

      Some fish change colour when they’ve found a mate–It’s like a fish wedding ring. Pink Square Anthias get a pink square on their side when they’re coupled up. Other fish, like lionfish, have bright colours to warn predators that they’re poisonous.

      Some fish use their colouration to blend in. Cod and rockfish look just like algae-covered stones. This lets them avoid predators and ambush prey.

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