 
What is Ichthyology?
Ichthyology is the study of fishes.
What is a fish?
This is a difficult question to answer because fishes have a huge variety of body forms.
The popular concept of a fish as an animal that has fins and scales, and lives in water is not strictly correct. Many species of fishes such as the clingfishes lack scales, and others such as some species of eels have no fins. Some fishes such as the lungfishes can spend considerable time out of water.
All fishes have a backbone or a notochord (a cartilaginous rod), and all breathe using gills. Some animals that are not fish, such as the axolotls also breathe using gills. These animals however have fully formed limbs that are lacking in fishes.
Berra (2001) states that "If we allow room for these and other exceptions, we can define a fish as a poikilothermic, aquatic chordate with appendages (when present) developed as fins, whose chief respiratory organs are gills and whose body is usually covered with scales."
Further reading:
- Berra, T.M. 2001. Freshwater Fish Distribution. Academic Press. Pp.604.
- Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B. & D.E. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science. Pp. 528.
Ichthyological research
Ichthyological research at the Australian Museum focuses on the classification, systematics (relationships), and behaviour of fishes. The Museum's huge fish collection is the focus of much of the research. Our aim is to increase knowledge and understanding of fishes, and to make this information widely available.
Find out more about our:
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