How do fish hunt and forage for food?
Over millions of years, fish have evolved highly tuned senses to help them survive and find food. Most fish that live closer to the surface have color vision suitable for daylight. Meanwhile, deep-sea fish adapted eyes suitable for seeing in low or no light. It is a common belief that fish cannot hear, but this is not true. On the contrary, because fish have the ability to locate sounds in the water. Some species also rely on lateral lines to detect water movement and pressure gradients. In addition, fish use a process known as chemoreception, which allows them to “smell” in water. Chemoreceptors allow fish to taste objects they touch and smell chemicals present in the water. Others, like sharks, can determine which direction an odor is coming from and detect one part per million of blood in seawater.
Fish use their keen senses to find food, after which they orientate themselves to the source. In general, most fish rely on stealth and speed to capture live prey. Predators will swim around until they find a target and then sneak up on it until they get close enough to catch it by surprise. Some fish, such as the scorpionfish, modified camouflage that allows them to wait for unsuspecting prey to swim by. Others, like the stargazer, bury themselves in the sand and then jump out to ambush prey. Meanwhile, bottom-feeding fish typically scour the seafloor in search of debris or leftovers from the meals of other sea creatures. Finally, some fish, such as the goatfish, will hunt in groups and use strategies to distract, disorient, and pick out their prey.