Fun Cepola Facts For Kids
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Cepola fish have five different members who are the same genus species. All the members are termed as the red bandfish except the Australian bandfish.
They are present all across the world. The range of their habitat might extend up to the Indo-western area and the Pacific Ocean including New Guinea and the Philippines. The Aegean Sea and the Nile delta have a considerable population of this fish.
This range might extend up to Scotland. A burrow is known to be home to these tropical and Atlantic marine species.
Cepola haastii is found at a depth of 656 ft (200 m) while the Guinean bandfish is found at a depth of 82-328 ft (25-100 m). The red bandfish is spotted at around 1312 ft (400 m) which is the deepest of all the cepola members. They are mostly concentrated towards the west side of the water world.
According to Fishbase, they have a widely placed outset of teeth with a pointed tail. It is still unknown where they got their name from.
If you like reading about this, you might want to read about monkfish and gar.
Cepola Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a cepola?
Cepola (Cepola macrophthalma) or the red bandfish is a fish. They belong to the Animalia kingdom and have the Chordata phylum.
What class of animal does a cepola belong to?
Cepola fish of the eastern Atlantic range belongs to the Actinopterygii class of animal. These marine fishes of the extreme ocean depth belong to the Perciformes order.
How many cepolas are there in the world?
Being a member of the cepolidae family, four of the fishes are listed under the Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although these species are of the Least Concern, the exact population and distribution range of these fishes are not known to the researchers as of now.
Where does a cepola live?
The cepola is mainly a creature of the tropical climatic zone. These creatures are spread throughout the different coastal regions of the atlas. They are restricted to the marine environment of the eastern Atlantic region. Few groups are spotted in Australia and New Zealand.
What is a cepola's habitat?
The cepola habitat mostly includes areas with reef, burrow, or coast filled with sand and mud. Five of these fishes are found in different depths and ranges of marine life.
They are mostly found in tropical and Mediterranean habitats. The Australian bandfish can go down to 229 ft (70 m) while the Cepola schlegelii can go down up to 328 ft (100 m) filled with muddy bottoms.
Who do cepolas live with?
These fishes are rarely seen alone and mostly in groups. They are noticed to stay within vertical burrow-shaped places in a group of four to eight fish.
How long does a cepola live?
The exact lifespan of the cepola fish is not known as of now.
How do they reproduce?
According to Fishbase, since these creatures are a member of the bottom ocean world the life of the species remains unhindered for a long time. The exact process of their reproduction and life during the breeding season is not very clear or certain.
What is their conservation status?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these marine species are listed under the Least Concern category. The Guinean bandfish is listed under the Data Deficient category.
Considering the fact that these fishes are of Least Concern at the moment, there has been a decreasing trend in their population. This is due to the excessive commercial activities of humans like fishing.
Cepola Fun Facts
What do cepolas look like?
The cepola or red bandfish (Cepola macrophthalma) is a species of a reef and coast-based environment. A cepola appearance has a distinctive classification including the large oblique mouth and the pointed tail.
You can identify these cepola species by their very slim and thin body that appears to be either red or bright orange in color. The lower part is usually orange or yellow in color.
The front side is comparatively thicker with the body tapering towards a pointed tail. The body is more of a ribbon-like structure with glittering eyes.
An important classification is the distribution of the dorsal fin, caudal fin, and anal fin. The dorsal fin and the anal fin are attached by a ribbon-like membrane to the caudal fin appearing to be a single fin.
The teeth inside the large oblique mouth are widely spaced. According to a survey by Fishbase, the fin classification contains 67-70 soft rays of the dorsal fin and anal fins with the caudal fin being free towards the widely spaced tip.
How cute are they?
Needless to say, these red marine fishes are cute by appearance, unlike channel catfish. The glittery eyes and the synchronical distribution of the dorsal and anal fins gives the fish a ribbon-like look. The look is quite sober and vibrant in its own unique way.
How do they communicate?
These Cepola genus species are species of the depth of the ocean, and because of this not much is known about the communication process of the species. These fishes are mostly seen within or around the vertical burrows.
They are spotted to be communicating in groups mostly during the breeding season. The communication of the species is limited to only minor body movements.
How big is a cepola?
These species have an average size of around 9.8-15.7 in (25- 40.0cm). The size of these creatures is not very large and is almost half the size of a lungfish. The average size of a lungfish is 39.37 in (100cm).
How fast can a cepola swim?
The exact speed of the fish is not known although they are found to be very quick to hide and swim away when under attack.
How much does a cepola weigh?
The exact weight and range of the species are unknown.
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no specific name assigned to male and the female members of these species. They are usually referred to as the sex that the individuals belong to.
What would you call a baby cepola?
A baby cepola fish is referred to as fry.
What do they eat?
Being carnivores in nature, the cepola diet includes food like zooplankton and small crustaceans. Food also includes spotted garden eels and chaetognaths.
Are they dangerous?
There has been no information regarding this marine species being harmful or dangerous to other aquatic animals or humans, just like yellow tang.
Would they make a good pet?
Considering the fact that the life distribution of the species is restricted to the extreme depths of the water, it is advisable to not keep this species as pets.
Did you know...
The cepola fish is a common food to aquatic species like a common dolphin.
It takes around six hours for a cepola fish to build a burrow from the sediments.
Is the cepola endangered?
No, the cepola fish is not endangered. According to a survey, they are of Least Concern at the moment.
What adaptations do cepolas have?
Cepola adaptation includes the life of fishes within and around the vertical burrows. Due to the excess amount of deposition of sediments on the ocean floor, they cannot live directly on the ocean floor and build a burrow from that. They have adapted themselves to wind up and stay within the burrows found at the ocean bottom.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our Pilchard facts and ocean sunfish facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable fish coloring pages.
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Second image by User:OpenCage
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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