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Icefish - Definition and Overview |
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| Icefishes |
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There was previously an image in this space. It was removed due to a lack of a free license. The image is pending deletion, and this notice will be removed once the image is deleted. You can still view the image, which was called Icefish-large.jpg. The caption displayed for this image was "Neopagetopsis ionah".
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Neopagetopsis ionah,
length: ca. 50 cm |
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| Species |
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Chaenocephalus aceratus
(16 more)
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- This article is about icefishes in the family Channichthyidae. For icefishes in the family Salangidae, please see Noodlefish.
The icefishes (or white-blooded fishes) are a family (Channichthyidae) of perciform fish found in the cold waters around Antarctica and southern South America.
 Antarctic icefish larvae (click on the image for a larger version)Their blood is transparent because they have no haemoglobin and no or only defunct erythrocytes. Their metabolism relies only on the oxygen dissolved in the liquid blood, which is believed to be absorbed directly through the skin from the water. This works, because water can dissolve the most oxygen when it is coldest. Also, their muscles (except the heart muscle) lack myoglobin. These extraordinary properties seem to be an adaption to the extreme cold of their habitat. (Note that water temperature can drop below 0 °C (the freezing point of freshwater) in the Antarctic sea, but, on the other hand, stays rather constant.)
Icefish feed on krill, copepods, and other fish.
External links
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Example Usage of Icefish |
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JavaPeg: http://twitpic.com/tk8vd - Icefish, pea tendrils |
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FieldNStream: SWEET!!!! Can't waite to Icefish!! grilling wild game & brews...Canadian Style Ice Fishing. Eh ? http://bit.ly/8xF01j |
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fishwisconsin: That's easy! Icefish of course! @DSOutdoors "so many choices this time of year, turkey hunt, bow deer, ice fish. what to do? " |
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