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Underwater Ninja: How does the Crossfish cleverly escape from predators?
In the rivers and lakes of Northern Europe, there is a fish called the cross fish (Carassius carassius), which is famous for its superb escape ability. This medium-sized fish, with a length of about 15 centimeters and a maximum of 64 centimeters, and a weight of about 2 kilograms, has an innate escape instinct and can react quickly when a predator appears.
The appearance of the crossfish gives it a certain advantage in the fight against predators. Their unique body shape helps them swim nimbly in the water and escape predators.
Distribution and habitat
Crossfish are widely distributed in rivers and lakes across Europe, stretching from the UK to Russia, and live in a variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds and slow-flowing rivers. Their range extends from the Scandinavian countries of the Arctic Circle in the north to Central France and the Black Sea region in the south. Crossfish are considered native, which is one of the reasons they play an important role in the local ecosystem.
Predator defense mechanism
Crossfish show significant morphological changes in an environment where they live with predators. When predator threats are present, their body shape can change from a streamlined shape to a deep body shape more suitable for escape. This change makes it harder for predators to devour the crossfish, but the long-term persistence of this feature may come with some kind of survival trade-off.
Research shows that the immune function and resource allocation of deep-bodied crucian fish will be affected, resulting in their basic natural antibody levels being lower than those of streamlined fish.
In addition, deep-bodied crossfish also lag behind their streamlined counterparts in growth rate, so although their morphological changes may protect themselves, they may have an impact on their overall survival strategy.
Physiological adaptation
Crossfish display amazing physiological adaptations. This fish can survive in the anaerobic environment in winter by using anaerobic respiration and generate ethanol as the main product of metabolism. This adaptive mechanism is extremely rare among vertebrates and provides them with the possibility of survival in harsh environments.
Sports fishing and cultural significance
In the UK, fishing for crossfish can be divided into recreational and competitive fishing. In the past record, the largest crossfish weighed 4 pounds and 9 ounces (about 2.085 kilograms). This record has not yet been broken. As an important food fish, crossfish also has profound cultural significance and has unique cooking methods in different regions.
In Poland, for example, crossfish is considered the best panfish and is often served with sour cream. In Russia, it is a popular ingredient used in the classic red cabbage soup.
Relationship with goldfish
The relationship between crossfish and goldfish is also quite eye-catching. Some documents indicate that goldfish (Carassius auratus) is actually a species bred from crossfish. Therefore, in competitive fishing activities, it becomes very important to correctly distinguish between Crossfish and Goldfish hybrids, which is not only a matter of fair competition, but also a matter of ecological understanding.
Ecological value
Crossfish not only play an important role in the food chain, their existence helps maintain ecological balance. Their living habits can effectively clean up organic matter in the water and prevent excessive eutrophication of the water body. Since its market demand is not as good as that of the glamorous koi, cross fish have a relatively low commercial presence. However, their role in local ecosystems cannot be ignored.
To sum up, the survival strategies and adaptability displayed by cross fish in the face of predators make people wonder: In today's rapidly changing ecological environment, do other fish have similar survival wisdom?
