Fun Fish Facts for Crossword Puzzle Lovers

The subject of fish in crossword puzzles is fairly common, seeing as there are a wide variety of answers to a given clue about fish. FOOD FISH, for example, has a possible 44 answers as opposed to FLATFISH, which only has 8 or SMALL FISH, which has 13. We’ve only listed the most common answers of course, but there are certainly more than 44 species of fish that humans have eaten throughout the course of history.

Fishes You can not find: Some Fish Facts

The DORADO (or MAHI MAHI), for example, is not listed under FOOD FISH, yet it is a fish commonly eaten in Hawaii. We also have a large list of related terms below our list of 44 food fish, where you can find the dorado under “food fish also called mahi mahi.”
Furthermore, there are more than 13 species of small fish in the world’s oceans. There are scientists who have dedicated their lives to documenting what constitutes a “small fish” and cataloging each as they are discovered.

Searching the Popular Answers

When a crossword puzzle gives you such a vague clue though, it is more or less an unwritten rule that the answer must be popular enough to be common knowledge. As such, if our answers don’t quite match up with your crossword, take a look at the related terms and you will more than likely find the right answer there.

As an avid crossword player, you are sure to love reading a little more about the clues and answers. Besides discovering something new and fun, learning about the most common fish-related clues can aid you in knowing the right answer next time. A lot of the answers have alternate names, spelling, and distinctive facts that will up your crossword expertise in no time.

Small Fish Crossword Clue

Exactly what defines a SMALL FISH is tricky at best. There are two main types of measurement: first, the standard average length of a fish species, and second, the maximum length of the fish species. Weight, unfortunately, is not taken into account. There is little to no data available on the weight of currently known small fish species.

Fish Fact 1: At the time this article was written, the smallest recorded fish judging by the standard length is the male PHOTOCORYNUS SPINICEPS, a species of anglerfish that measures an average of 6.2 mm. This is much smaller than the female angler, which measures about 2 inches in comparison.

Fish Fact 2: The smallest fish, according to the maximum length of the species, is the LEPTOPHILYPNION, a genus of the eleotridae endemic family. Otherwise known as sleeper gobies, these tiny fish are found in the Amazon Basin and were only recently discovered by T.R. Roberts in 2013.

Small Fish Longest Answer – Fingerlings

The term FINGERLING doesn’t actually refer to a species of fish, but rather a stage of growth in a fish’s life. Fingerlings are one of the last stages of youth before a fish is considered an adult. Fish begin as eggs and hatch into larvae carrying a small yolk-sac that provides them with the necessary nutrition until they can hunt food for themselves.

Once a juvenile fish can do the latter and their yolk-sac has completely disappeared, they are called a FRY. After the “fry” stage, the fish will grow scales and working fins. It is at this point they can be called “fingerlings” and are about the size of a human finger, hence the name. The last stage of a fish’s youth is spent growing in size and eventually maturing sexually.

Flatfish Crossword Clue

Flatfish, as the name might imply, refers to fish that operate on their sides, rather than upright like most other fish. This odd position occurs during the fish’s development, where one eye begins to migrate through or around the head until both eyes are on the same side. Which side the eyes end up on depends on the species, some will be on the left, right, and some don’t seem to care either way.

Fish Fact: There are over 700 species of flatfish and almost all of them use their unique orientation for camouflage on the ocean floor and to hide in wait for prey. Depending on the species, flatfish feed on smaller fish and invertebrates (shrimp, scallops, sea snails, etc). Despite flatfish’s mutant look, humans are particularly fond of eating them. Examples of flatfish include FLOUNDERS, SOLES and HALIBUT.

Flatfish Longest Answer – Flounder

FLOUNDERS are probably the most popular and well-known flatfish. As you might already know, flounders are bottom feeders that eat mostly invertebrates and use the ocean floor to camouflage and protect themselves against predators.

Fish fact 1: Much like all flatfish, the most interesting thing about flounders is their eyes and how they end up on the same side. In the case of flounders, the process is called metamorphosis and occurs between the larvae and “fingerling” stages. Like most flatfish, flounders begin their lives with one eye on either side of their head.

Fish fact 2: As they grow older, one eye (along with other parts of its head) moves to the same side as the other eye. What makes this process especially odd, is that a flounder’s fundamental body structure doesn’t change to be more “one-side” orientated, as it were. Their jaws, bone structure, and fins all remain more or less where they would be if they were a normal upright fish.

Food Fish Crossword Clue

The term FOOD FISH defines itself. Food fish are fish that humans consume as food for a variety of nutrients and protein. Humans have been eating fish for about as long as the human species has existed.

Depending on the culture, there is not really a fish that has not been consumed at some point in history by humans, whether to find out if it is poisonous or to wrestle with the morality of endangering certain species.

Food Fish Longest Answer – Red Snapper

RED SNAPPER is a general term that actually refers to several species of saltwater fish found around the world. Most of them have the color red in common, but enough species look so close to TILAPIA or ROCKFISH – both usually found in freshwater and warmer climates – that tilapia and rockfish are 100 percent mislabeled as red snapper in North America.