| Summary: | A fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. Most fish are "cold-blooded", or ectothermic, allowing their body temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change. Fish are abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, from high mountain streams (e.g., char and gudgeon) to the abyssal and even hadal depths of the deepest oceans (e.g., gulpers and anglerfish). At 31,900 species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other class of vertebrates. Food prepared from animals classified as fish is also referred to as fish, and is an important human food source. Commercial and subsistence fishermen hunt fish in wild fisheries or farm them in ponds or in cages in the ocean. They are also caught by recreational fishermen and raised by fishkeepers, and are exhibited in public aquariums. Fish have had a role in culture through the ages, serving as deities, religious symbols, and as the subjects of art, books and movies.
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