Ahh, fish, the wonderful denizens of the sea, the beautiful type of creatures on Earth's ocean floor, and something delicious we taste if we're out of chicken! Hahaha.
I'm kidding about the last part, but why I'm talking about fish is because earlier this week, a new species was discovered off the West coast of the US.
Get this! National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration scientists working off the coast have discovered the first ever warm-blooded fish species in the world. It's name is opah, or moonfish.
Here are some Fun Facts about the opah:
--When checking its body temperature, the scientists discovered that the temp. is warmer than the surrounding water.
--Since most fish species are exothermic, aka cold-blooded, they rely on environmental heat sources; the opah, however, is endothermic aka--you guessed it--warm-blooded, meaning it can heat itself. And the way it heats itself? By flapping its fins.
--It's also very fast, as its warmth gives it fast speeds in deep waters, making it a more competitive species.
--And if you haven't noticed, it's really big. The size is about the circumference of a car tire, and can grow up to six feet long.
Cheers to the scientists of the NOAA for this fantastic discovery, and their continuing advancement of oceanic sciences.
I guess the when more of these come, I have a feeling that many people will make corny jokes about it, like "You get a fish! you get a fish! Everybody gets a fish!" because the species name resembles Oprah. ...and I guess I've started.
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