When we think of the fish that inhabit the deep blue sea today, it’s easy to forget that they haven’t always been there. The ...

Hidden within fish DNA are powerful genetic twists that may explain one of nature’s biggest mysteries: how new species form so quickly. In Lake Malawi, hundreds of cichlid fish species evolved at ...

Along the murky bottom of the Amazon River, serpentine fish called electric eels scour the gloom for unwary frogs or other small prey. When one swims by, the fish unleash two 600-volt pulses of ...

Why does a Caribbean angelfish sometimes resemble its Indo-Pacific cousin, even though they have never lived in the same ocean? Why do coral reefs harbor such a wide range of stripes, spots and ...

Evolutionary biology explores how living systems change over time through variation, inheritance and differential success. At its heart lies the concept of descent with modification: populations ...

Coral reefs are home to a spectacular variety of fish. A new study shows that much of this diversity is driven by a relatively recent innovation among bony fish -- feeding by biting prey from surfaces ...

A study published in the Nature journal alters how the evolution of fish has been historically understood. Fossilized fish and other sea creatures have often been pivotal in new scientific discoveries ...

This bizarre-looking fish may seem otherworldly, but every part of its design solves a real problem: how to see, hunt and ...

In A Nutshell Scientists found evidence that ancient coelacanths may have used their bony lungs to detect sound vibrations ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Fish aren’t supposed to survive on land. Without being ...