Comments on: Antarctic ice fish redefines “cold-blooded”

By: nommers

nommers — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:20:03 +0000

is this the only cold blooded fish in the antarctic

By: Katya Nosarev

Katya Nosarev — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:44:38 +0000

Very helpful to my essay for school. Thanks.

By: Rolf Gradinger

Rolf Gradinger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:14:41 +0000

As scientist working in the Arctic Ocean Diversity Project of the Census of Marine Life, I am still amazed about the diversity of life in these frigid waters. Thanks for the comments regarding our Census work. Actually in the list of 235 common species, there is no fish species. The ice fish mentioned in the article are all endemic to Antarctica and have a unique physiology, allowing them to live at water temperatures close to minus 2 deg C. In order to minimize the freezing risk in their blood, they have these antifreeze substances and also a very low number of particles like blood cells in their body (this causes the transparent body). Some Arctic fish like Arctic cod use also antifreeze proteins.When it comes to species living at both poles, think of these regions being connected by slow cold water currents across the entire globe (we call this the conveyor belt circulation). This transfer is slow, but still fast enough to likely have contributed to the spreading of single species from pole to pole.

By: Darrell

Darrell — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:27:22 +0000

What is the WARMEST temp they can survive? If they can withstand, say 40 degrees(f), then it becomes easier to see how they can live in both places.

By: Bryan Sheehan

Bryan Sheehan — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:48:30 +0000

Is it not far more likely that these fish were populating every region of the globe during an ice age and just became separated as the ice age receded and didn’t evolve since then as they are entirely efficient in surviving in their environment. (In the same was as crocodiles haven’t evolved for hundreds of thousands of years)I’m no expert obviously.

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:41:30 +0000

wow that is amazing that there are fish that can survive in such extreme cold habitats

By: Taver Brin

Taver Brin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:07:47 +0000

There are two possibilities. The first is that the fish were transported there somehow. And that would have to be in sufficient numbers to populate and grow successfully. These would seem difficult given these fish’s need for very cold water.Or that the two locations having similar environments separately evolved identical versions of the fish. It would be interesting to examine the DNA of these aquatic oddities.