Some fish species have evolved to communicate with each other by producing sounds.
Some use their swim bladder and sonic muscle to make sounds, while others use their pectoral fins to produce sounds.
Either way, these fish are known to communicate by grunting, croaking, chirping, or humming.
So let’s learn about these fish in more detail.
Fish that Can Sing
Croaking Gouramis
Check out what this fish looks like over here.
Scientific Name: Trichopsis vittata
Croaking gouramis are freshwater fish belonging to the gourami family.
They’re native to Southeast Asia and distributed worldwide through the aquarium trade.
These fish come in different colors, ranging from pale brown and green to dark purple with red or black spots on the fins.
Their stunning look makes them extremely popular in the aquarium hobby.
Cloaking gouramis can grow up to 2 to 2.5 inches in length.
Most croaking gouramis have a lifespan of about 2 years, but with proper care, they can live as long as 5 years in home aquariums.
These fish produce a chirping or grunting sound by using their pectoral fins.
Both genders produce sounds similar to singing during breeding. Besides, males also produce sound to establish hierarchy.
Croaking gouramis usually eat insects and insect larvae but they also eat other food, including zooplankton, crustaceans, shrimp, and even plant matter.
Sparkling Gouramis
Scientific Name: Trichopsis pumila
These freshwater fish are also known as pygmy gouramis.
Sparkling gouramis are native to Southeast Asia and inhabit the Mekong River basin in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
They have a stunning golden body covered with beautiful scales.
They also have flecks that are bright red and fins with green and blue spots.
Sparkling gouramis are small fish. They can grow up to 1 to 1.5 inches in length.
Although these fish are small, they require plenty of space to swim.
These fish can produce a croaking or chirping sound by flapping their pectoral fins together.
Both males and females produce these chirping sounds during mating.
They usually eat small insects that either fall in water or live inside the water. In the wild, they also eat plant matter and bloodworms.
Plainfin Midshipman Fish
Scientific Name: Porichthys notatus
This fish is a species of batrachoid toadfish.
The plainfin midshipman inhabits the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean and is commonly found along the coast from Alaska to Magdalena Bay in Southern California.
It has a brownish to olive to bright iridescent purple dorsal surface that becomes lighter on the side and golden on the belly.
Underneath the eye is a white patch and black crescent shape.
The plainfin midshipman can grow up to 15 inches in length. Both the male and female can produce vocalizations.
However, the female is only capable of producing a grunting sound.
In contrast, the males are more vocal. They’re known to produce short grunting and growling sounds while fighting.
They also produce a prolonged hum to woo females.
The male fish can produce sounds for over an hour, with frequencies reaching near 100 Hz.
The female fish carrying eggs respond by approaching the male.
This fish is nocturnal, active at night, and rests during the day. The plainfin midshipman’s diet includes fish and crustaceans.
Bocon Toadfish
Scientific Name: Amphichthys cryptocentrus
Bocon toadfish are small tropical fish that inhabit the warm waters along the Caribbean-Atlantic coast of Central and South America.
These fish have a brown color covering their dorsal part, which fades and becomes pale on the ventral side.
They can grow up to 16 inches in length.
Bocon toadfish are extremely difficult to find, as they’re buried under sandy or rocky sea beds.
Every night the males start making sounds to woo the females.
Male bocon toadfish follow a predictable pattern of grunts and boops to attract females.
They usually grunt to interrupt other males around them, followed by sounds like they’re singing to win over females.
These fish are one of the few marine species where the male guards their fry and young ones.
Bocon toadfish feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans.
Lusitanian Toadfish
Check out what this fish looks like over here.
Scientific Name: Halobatrachus didactylus
Lusitanian toadfish are also known as gripau (Catalan), charroco (Portuguese), and pet sapo (Spanish).
They live along the Atlantic and Mediterranean Coasts of Western Europe and Western Africa.
The body of these fish is light brown with many dark brown spots of varying sizes that form irregular longitudinal stripes.
Lusitania toadfish can grow up to 20 inches in length.
These fish usually bury themselves in the mud, sand, or cracks formed on the rocks.
They’re well known for their vocals. They make various sounds, including whistles, grunts, and croaks.
They do this to attract females as well as to keep other males out of their territory.
They’re solitary fish that live in shallow waters.
These fish are carnivores that primarily feed on crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.