Euryhaline: 10 Fish That Can Live In Both Freshwater & Saltwater

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Euryhaline fish is the type of fish that can live in both freshwater and saltwater. They are special for not every marine organism can do that. One of the reasons that makes them this amazing is their life cycle migration. That means they need to migrate between freshwater and saltwater a lot in their life. This type of fish can tolerate a great range of salinities in the environment they live in. No matter if the amount of freshwater or saltwater is an imbalance, they can do well in the water. Since these fish are rare, you might have never heard of some of them before. Let’s see how many euryhaline fish you know together.

1American Eel

Most eels live in freshwater, but American eels are different. You can find them on the eastern coast of North America. This type of eel lives in freshwater just like the others, when they migrate to Atlantic Ocean during spawning season. A female eel can lay up to 4 million eggs, and dies after that. People often use them as bait in fishing.

2Atlantic Stingray

There are around 19 species of stingrays out there, but Atlantic stingray can live in more than one habitat. You can find them in both brackish and freshwater in western Atlantic Ocean. Their mating season is from September to April, and they give live birth.

3Barramundi

Barramundi aka Asian Sea Bass is found in Indo-West Pacific region from Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. They can grow up to 1.8 meter long, and they are popular among Thai cuisine. When monsoon begins, male barramundi migrate downriver to meet the females. The female barramundi’s eggs require brackish water to develop which is why they are euryhaline fish.

4Bull Shark

image: ume-y

It is unpleasant to know that there is a type of shark that can live in both freshwater and saltwater. You can find them worldwide in either fresh or saltwater areas. The bad news is this shark is absolutely aggressive and ferocious. Just like their other shark brothers, bull sharks have powerful jaws that can tear up your flesh without even try. They live in saltwater, and they also swim up to the river as well. Bull sharks are one of the most dangerous animals in Australia as well.

5Desert Pupfish

Desert pupfish is amon endangered species in the United States today due to fragmentation and habitat destruction. They are not good at heat toleration which is why they swim deeper in the water during the day to avoid heat death. Male and female desert pupfish look different from each other from size to color. Males are larger, and they have bright blue colors while females are smaller with silver or tan color.

6Green Chromide

This type of fish lives in both freshwater and brackish water in Southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also known as the official state fish of Kerala as well. Not to mention that they make fine cuisine in the countries of their habitats.

7Herring

Herring travels in large schools, and you can find them in North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. They play great part in food production due to the abundant of their species. People can cook them in many different ways like salted, smoked, pickled, and other food courses.

8Mummichog

image: NCFishes

This is the very first fish to ever sent to space back in 1973. They live almost every water region along Atlantic coast of the United State and Canada. You can find them in brackish water, coastal water, and even salt marshes. This type of fish is special in so many ways. They can even travel on land in short distances to get back to the sea as well.

9Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye Salmon’s names are various in places. People also called them as Blueback Salmon, Kokanee Salmon, and Red Salmon. Their habitat is in the Northern part of Pacific Ocean as well as rivers discharge to the ocean. They can grow up to 84 centimeters, and they are great swimmers. This type of salmon lives in freshwater, and migrate to the ocean annually with the distance of more than 1,600 km. Just like American Eels, they die after laying eggs.

10White Perch

image: rawpixel

White Perch are found in so many places throughout the United States like freshwater, coastal areas, and lakes. This type of fish feed on nothing else but other fish’s eggs as main food. Female white perch can lay more than 150,000 eggs a time, and it takes only a week for the eggs to hatch.

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