Something new - Warm-blooded fish found

[packman]

NOAA scientists have discovered the ocean's first fully warm-blooded fish. The opah, also known as the moonfish, maintains its body temperature by circulating warm blood through its body.

The opah roams the depths of the ocean, where most of its neighbors are slow and sluggish. Unlike its friends, the opah constantly flaps its fins, which heats up its body and fuels its metabolism. In turn, it also has a distinct predatory advantage, as the opah can move more quickly than other marine predators.

"Before this discovery I was under the impression this was a slow-moving fish, like most other fish in cold environments," said NOAA's Nicholas Wegner, the lead author of the new study. "But because it can warm its body, it turns out to be a very active predator that chases down agile prey like squid and can migrate long distances."

http://www.discovery.com/dscovrd/wildlife/meet-the-worlds-first-warm-blooded-fish/

[kwassa]

1. It is also extremely delicious. Opah steaks!

Captain Kidd's seafood restaurant. Redondo Beach, CA. Outstanding food.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. OMG, that is amazing. Nature is so marvelous and wonderful.

[MoonRiver]

3. What an amazing discovery!

[Kirk Lover]

4. As someone who enjoys the company of 10 betta fish..this is fascinating!! nt

[backtoblue]

5. Kick and rec!!

Very cool discovery!

[RandomAccess]

6. In that photo, it looks like the fish is smoking a

cigarette, or maybe vaping. Funny.

[ProudLib72]

7. That's a hose pushing water over its gills to keep it alive. nt

[backtoblue]

8. It's a hookah!!! Lol

[Volaris]

9. Some sharks do this, too.

It's a side effect of if they don't keep moving, they don't push water over their gills and they Suffocate; the muscle movment of their tails warms their blood. Not sure if sharks are considered True Fish as they don't have a bony skeleton, but if they are, the headline is sort of misleading and this isn't a 'new' discovery...