Fun Perch Facts For Kids

The perch fish is a fish that belongs to the genus Perca and it's a freshwater gamefish that can be broadly divided into three subspecies based on their geographical locations. They are typically native to sources of fresh water such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, etc. Several other types of fish are similar to the perch in terms of their appearance, which is why many mistake those fish for perches.

Apart from the yellow perch (Perca flavescens), there are several other Perch species in the family percidae such as the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus), European perch (Perca fluviatilis), Balkhash perch (Perca schrenkii),  golden perch (Macquaria ambigua), silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolor), and white perch (Morone americana).

So, if you're interested in fish and want to know more about the perch fish from the family Percidae, read on. In this Kidadl article, we'll take you through all the different perch fish facts that you could ever want to know. We'll also touch on some perch recipes because, as you know, perch is quite popular among foodies for its unique taste.

Included in this article is information regarding Nile perch, small spiny perch, perch during the spring season, perch eggs, perch spawn, the species populations, yellow perch species, and so on.

For more informative facts-based articles right here on Kidadl, check out Nile perch facts and tawny owl facts.

What type of animal is a perch?

A perch is a fish.

What class of animal does a perch belong to?

The perch belongs to the class Actinopterygii.

How many perches are there in the world?

It's unclear as to exactly how many perches there are in the world. However, its conservation status is Least Concern, which means that at present, there's no imminent danger of the global perch population declining rapidly.

Where does a perch live?

A perch is native to the ocean.

What is a perch's habitat?

Perches are native freshwater sources such as ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. However, some perch populations have been reported to move from their native freshwater habitats to brackish and/or tidal waters. In the months of winter, perch populations upstream generally make their way down to escape the harsh cold conditions.

Who do perches live with?

Perches tend to live in packs.

How long does a perch live?

Most perches live for only five to six years. However, some perches have been known to survive for 10 years or more.

How do they reproduce?

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens) observes its spawning season during the April to May period. During this spawning period, male and female perches inhabit shallow waters where the females lay eggs. Females are known to lay their eggs in gelatinous rows under greenish aquatic plants or tree roots, which is why it's important to fill your aquarium up with some plants if you plan to adopt one or more perches as pets. Without plants in the aquarium, the females may lay eggs in undesirable places during the spawning period. They are known to spawn in a vigorous manner as the females lay lots of eggs at one go, which ensures that their populations don't decline. However, adult perches must be removed from the immediate environment once the spawning is completed, as they are notorious for eating the eggs.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of perches is of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List.

What do perches look like?

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens) is known for its dark vertical bars. Apart from those dark vertical bars, it has a rounded and long body. What will also leave a lasting impression apart from the dark vertical bars are the perch's lidless eyes and lower mandible. Perches also have pelvic and pectoral fins along with two dorsal fins. One of the dorsal fins is soft, while the other is quite spiny.

How cute are they?

Whether you find the perch fish cute or not depends on how much you like fish as pets. If you're a lover of fish, you may find perches quite cute. However, be careful when interacting with your pet perch because perches are known for their aggressive nature and if your perch's mood isn't the best, you may be on the receiving end of the bite of a sea perch.

How do they communicate?

How spiny perches communicate with each other and with other creatures in their underwater habitats hasn't exactly been determined yet. However, according to experts, spiny perches perform a variety of vocalizations underwater to communicate with other creatures. For example, they may perform a certain set of vocalizations when they're about to be attacked by predators.

How big is a perch?

Compared to a wahoo, which is around 45-60 in (114.3-152.4 cm) long, a perch is around three to four times smaller.

How fast can a perch swim?

As mentioned before, there are many different types of perches. However, on average, a lake perch or a saltwater perch typically reaches peak swimming speeds of over 12 mph (19.3 kph).

How much does a perch weigh?

On average, adult perches weigh around 6 lb (2.7 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names for male and female perches.

What would you call a baby perch?

There is no specific name for a baby perch.

What do they eat?

Perches are known to consume planktonic crustaceans, corals, worms, and aquatic insect larvae. Some perch populations are also known to consume invertebrates. Larval perches feed on copepods, cladocerans, and zooplankton. The largest perches also consume small fish from time to time.

Are they poisonous?

No, perch fish aren't poisonous. However, the front dorsal fins of perch fish are known for their sharp spines. While these small spines aren't poisonous, they may result in puncture wounds if the fish are handled carelessly, which may lead to infection.

Would they make a good pet?

Perch fish are typically not adopted as pets by people. However, if you're a lover of fish, you can try your hand at keeping one or more perch fish in your aquarium. If you're not a fish lover but like to eat fish, be sure that you try out at least one perch recipe - it's sure to be a memorable experience for your taste buds.

Did you know...

If you adopt a perch as a pet, you have to set the temperature in your aquarium somewhere between 68-77 F (20-25 C).

Types of perch

We've already taken you through the different types of perch along with their scientific names earlier in this post. But what's really the difference between the different types of fish? Well, the silver perch is the smallest among all the perches and they're also the easiest when it comes to perch fishing, which isn't something that can be said for the other perch types. White perches are also quite popular, but they're considerably tougher to catch than the silver ocean perch. However, the undisputed king of perches is the yellow perch, which is the toughest to hunt but also the tastiest.

Eating perch

So you just caught a sand perch and you want to cook up a nice recipe for your family with it? So what do you exactly cook? Well, if you want to cook the perch in the simplest way, just fry it. If you want to take it a notch higher, switch on that oven and bake it. And if you're looking to try out something unique, why not try out poached perch, which is a perch recipe that's become quite popular in recent years.

Do perch have teeth?

Yellow perch have small teeth. They do not have canine teeth.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these yellow baboon facts and climbing perch facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our perch coloring pages.