Does a Fish Sleep or Drink Water?

Almost every living thing needs to rest itself and keep its energy potential. Animals and humans also value sleep. Sleep, which provides the opportunity to experience the basal metabolic state, provides a state of complete rest within the human body.

Among the creatures whose sleep state arouses curiosity, fish almost take the top of the list. It has always been a matter of curiosity whether the fish, which are in constant motion in the water, sleep or not. Especially those who have an aquarium at home and those who keep fish will see that the fish do not close their eyes and their movements are not completely restricted when they watch these creatures for a while. This raises the question of how a living creature, which is in motion all day long, can sleep in humans.

As with all living things, most fish species go into a state of rest at certain intervals during their day. This resting state, which stands out as a kind of sleep behavior, saves energy and keeps its internal metabolism in a calm structure. However, this state of rest in fish differs from the sleep of land-dwelling creatures. If a fish species is very active during the day, they will withdraw under sheltered cliffs or in cavities where they can camouflage themselves, both at night for rest and not to become prey to nocturnal predators. Here they go into a state of rest and relax their metabolism.

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Contrary to the daytime, fish species that move actively at night, like fish species that rest at night during the day, remain motionless in certain areas and experience a state of rest, that is, sleep. In this way, they also control their energy transformations.

Most shark species swim in oxygen-rich waters. This situation, which is a necessity in order to breathe underwater by getting enough oxygen thanks to the dissolved oxygen in the water, always pushes the sharks to swim to ensure the water cycle. However, sharks also need to slow down their brain functions at certain intervals and go into a resting state, that is, a sleep pattern of their own.

In fact, some shark species stay motionless at the bottom of the ocean and regulate their metabolism by going into a kind of sleep state. As you can see, almost every fish species has some kind of passive sleep pattern, and fish also sleep, albeit differently from us.

Do Fish Drink Water?

Water is one of the most important sources of life for all living things. It is wondered whether the fish that are constantly in the water drink water or not. Fish are divided into freshwater and saltwater fish. Freshwater fish absorb water through their gills and skin. Saltwater fish drink water. Fish living in salt water send the water to their digestive systems. Freshwater fish expel water from their mouths through their gills.

Source: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/fish-sleep.html