Discovery of the First Warm-Blooded Fish Species

The opah fish, known for its spherical body, meaty texture, and silver skin, has always been a notable species. Recently, scientists discovered that this species, which typically lives in deep waters, is warm-blooded. The opah, scientifically named 'Lampris guttatus', is the first warm-blooded fish ever discovered. Most fish rely on their surrounding environment to regulate their body temperature. However, the opah can maintain its body temperature even in the cold depths of the ocean at 400 meters. The website 'Scientific American' cites a new study conducted by American scientists, stating: 'The increase in temperature in this fish's body, like other warm-blooded animals, enhances its mobility and physical activity. As a result, muscles can move faster, its vision and visual accuracy improve, and the animal's nervous system transmits messages more quickly. This allows the fish to swim faster, have better eyesight, and higher reaction speeds.' The opah can grow up to 1.8 meters and is covered with very small, red fins. When the fish swims, these fins move quickly, providing the necessary heat for its blood. CNN also reports that the opah, known as the moonfish, has a significant advantage in its cold deep-sea habitat due to its warm-blooded nature, allowing it to hunt better and evade predators more effectively. According to the findings published in the latest issue of 'Science', it was previously thought that fish could not be warm-blooded due to the oxygen breakdown in water by their gills. However, the physical characteristics of the opah show that its body warms up due to the rapid and continuous movement of its muscles, but as soon as the blood exits the heart and reaches the animal's organs, it quickly adapts to the cold ocean water temperature. Scientists studying the opah's body discovered that this fish has an additional network of blood vessels between its heart and gills. This network acts as a heat exchange system, warming the oxygen-rich blood from the gills before it is transferred to the animal's organs. In this way, heat is retained in the center of the animal's blood and oxygen transfer system. The opah can maintain its body temperature about five degrees higher than its surrounding environment. Additionally, a layer of fat beneath the fish's skin retains this heat for sensitive organs like the brain and heart.