#osmeriformes

[every-day-creechur]

Shishamo Smelt Spirinchus lanceolatus

A smelt from Hokkaido, Japan. The fish is said to resemble a willow leaf, and its Japanese name, 柳葉魚, reflects this; shishamo, is derived from the Ainu name for the same fish, susam. In Japanese cuisine, this fish is grilled or fried whole and served with its roe intact. Due to declining catches in recent years, attempts have been made to commercially farm the fish in Japan.

image by Totti

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Actinopterygii - Osmeriformes - Jun 30

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Osmeriformes

Common Name: “true smelts” or “freshwater smelts”

Families: 4 - Retropinnidae (“Australian and New Zealand smelts”), Osmeridae (“freshwater smelts” or “typical smelts”), Plecoglossidae (“Ayu Sweetfish”), Salangidae (“icefishes” or “noodlefishes”)

Anatomy: slender, streamlined body; most have an adipose fin; reduced or missing articular and mesopterygoid teeth; many species translucent or transparent

Diet: plankton, small insect larvae, algae, sponges, worms

Habitat: Generally marine (despite the term “freshwater smelts”); almost all species migrate to spawn in fresh water; temperate oceans worldwide and in temperate freshwater of the Holarctic and around the South Pacific region; a handful of tropical species

Evolved in: Late Cretaceous

(source)

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Voting ended onJul 7, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

The name “smelt” is literally a reference to their smell, as fish of the genus Osmerus have a “characteristic aroma” to their flesh. It ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek osmé (ὀσμή), meaning "pungent smell".

Speaking of smells, the Australian Grayling (Prototroctes maraena) (image 2) is also known as the Cucumber Mullet or Cucumber Herring, due to its cucumber-like odour.

One of the oldest possible fossil osmeriforms is Spaniodon, a piscivore from the Late Cretaceous

The critically endangered Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) (image 3) functions as an indicator species for the overall health of the Delta's ecosystem, as it is very susceptible to changes in the environmental conditions of its native habitat. Its decline is due to urbanization, the introduction of non-native species, water diversions, contaminants, and the conversion of complex tidal habitats to leveed channels. Efforts to protect the fish from further decline and extinction have focused on limiting or modifying the large-scale pumping activities of state and federal water projects at the southern end of the estuary, thereby limiting water available to farming. However, these efforts have not prevented the species from becoming functionally extinct in the wild. A survey in April 2015 found only one individual delta smelt in the wild, though captive breeding populations persist.

[patheticmosasaur1]

today's vertebrate........salanx chinensis

what's this bloody angry pencil ✍️✍️✍️ doing??? not much it seems, but it's very mad!!!

why's that?? I don't know, but it'll bite and snatch until all its rage goes away, and going by its track record (this happened before) it'll take at least 14 years to cool down

maybe it's angry because it doesn't have any tunes to bang out?

shlompiness rating: why the long face

illustration by Steindachner I think

this fish looks so stupid