FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
If you go looking for this small fish, you might not find it! Which fish is it? It is the Vendace fish, UK's rarest freshwater fish. With the common name Whitefish Vendace fish, this small species is now only naturally found in the Bassenthwaite lake. Discovered by Sir John Richardson, the name Vendace came from the Latin word for common. As irony would have it, by the 1960s, at the height of the industrial revolution, this 'common' fish became so uncommon that not even expert fishermen could catch one. For the longest time, it had been believed to be extinct from its natural habitats like the Bassenthwaite lake and more and had been declared so in 2008. However, in a surprising turn of events, the common whitefish was spotted in these waters in 2014, putting it back on the map.
However, just because it is back on the map, does not mean it will be for much longer. Its biggest threat is eutrophication, which kills the zooplankton it eats. It is also threatened by invasive species such as the Smelt fish, who routinely eat the Vendace larvae, further driving down their numbers. Though there have been some attempts of reviving their numbers ex-situ, there has not been much progress in that area. Want to know more about such rare fish? Then check out the Chinese paddlefish and the sucker fish.
The Vendace species is a type of fish.
The Vendace species belongs to the fish class and the family Salmonidae.
Due to a lack of research, there is no fixed number of their populations. However, it has been studied that their numbers are steadily declining over the years/threatened by certain factors.
The Vendace lives in freshwater rivers and deep, cold lakes. They include the Bassenwaithe lake and other small lakes in the Northern British Isles.
The Vendace species lives in deep, cold lakes in and around the British Isles. Other species used to live in England and Scotland too, but those populations are now extinct.
The Vendace population prefers living on their own. Since their population is already so small, they can live alone in British lakes (such as the Bassenthwaite lake) and more.
The Vendace species lives for about six years in the wild. In the wild, their habitat is in the Bassenthwaite lakes in England, Europe.
The female of this species will lay eggs, and the male will fertilize them. There is a hatching period of a month, after which the small fry becomes free swimming.
According to the IUCN Red List, this is an Endangered fish species.
The Vendace species are bluish-green in color, often appearing gray. These whitefish species have prominent fins and beady black eyes.
*Please note this is an image of a whitefish from the same Coregonus family as the Vendace. If you have an image of a Vendace, let us know at [email protected].
They are not a very cute Whitefish species at all.
The Vendace species communicates through the chemicals in their bile and urine.
The Vendace is 8 in long, making it almost as big as the Queen Cichlid.
The Vendace lives in deep, cold lakes and sluggish water, and as such, does not swim very fast.
The Whitefish Vendace weighs approximately 550 g on average.
There is no specific name for the male and female of the Whitefish Vendace.
There is no particular name for the Whitefish Vendace. The baby fish are known as fry, just like with any other fish species.
The Whitefish Vendace primarily eats plankton and other microscopic creatures.
No, the Whitefish Vendace roe is not dangerous to anyone.
Due to its endangered status in England, Europe, Scotland, and the British Isles, it is illegal to have these whitefish as pets.
Sir John Richardson had discovered this bluish-green, small fish in Bassenwaithe lake in 1890. Since then, it has now become UK's rarest freshwater fish. In addition to this fish, Sir John Richardson also has four reptiles to his name.
The word Vendace is pronounced as Ven-dis/deys.
One of the minor reasons the Vendace populations took a dip is because humans enjoyed eating fried Vendace. Due to its state as a rare species, its meat was even more prized, which led to a hunting spree that killed a lot of its numbers.
The Smelt fish is the biggest invasive species in England, which eats the larvae of the Vendace in lakes, causing its population to decline significantly in Scotland and the British Isles over the years.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish including Siamese fighting fish, or the Piranha fish.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Vendace fish coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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