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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing the milkfish. These fish supposedly get their common name from their appearance. Their silvery, green scales have white speckles that are said to resemble milk droplets! They're also known as the giant herring because they look like giant herrings. They have a single dorsal fin along their back and a forked tail fin. Milkfish reach more than 3 feet (91 cm) long if they survive to adulthood and can weigh upwards of 33 pounds (15 kg) at full size! Males and females are indistinguishable from appearance alone, however the boys are recorded as the longest individuals in this species. These fish are also known as the national fish of the Philippines, however this is not a legal distinction as the government there doesn’t recognize it as such. Milkfish is also known as “bangus.”

Milkfish are typically listed as marine fish, however, they can tolerate a wide range of salinity. In fact, some milkfish actually live in freshwater lakes! These animals are born out at sea, travel to inshore environments, such as mangrove forests and lagoons, as juveniles, sometimes venture upstream into lakes as subadults, and eventually return to sea to spawn. What's more, they don't mind the heat! They can live in water that's nearly 90 degrees fahrenheit (32 C)! For this reason, they're most commonly found in tropical and subtropical coasts of the world where the water temperature is at least 68 degrees (20 C). Their range extends from the East Coast of Africa all the way around to the West Coast of North America.

Milkfish have a small mouth and no teeth! Their diet includes zooplankton, algae, fish fry and eggs, and small invertebrates, such as crustaceans, that live along the water’s bottom. These fish, in turn, are eaten by other fish species, especially when they're in their vulnerable egg and juvenile stages. It's for this reason milkfish mothers produce millions of eggs! A single female may spawn 5 million eggs on a full moon or new moon night, and these all hatch after 24 hours. The milkfish fry float in the water column for two to three weeks before making their way towards shallow waters. It takes about five years for these fish to reach reproductive maturity, and the oldest known individuals have reached 15 years of age, although most don't live this long.

Milkfish have been farmed by humans for at least 500 years. Originally, the fry had to be caught in mesh nets each season to replenish stocks, but today research has helped develop systems that allow people to raise milkfish fully in captivity. They're largely used as food in Southeast Asia. Here's a strange bit of milkfish knowledge: these fish grow thick, gelatinous, transparent masses over their eyes as they age. These start forming as the fish become more active swimmers! While they may help act as a barrier to the eyes while swimming, they also retain fat, much like a camel!

For more facts on the milkfish, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!