Before we jump into finding out the answer to “Do fish feel thirsty?”. We want you to know that there are two types of fish, Freshwater fish, and Seawater fish. Freshwater fishes don’t drink water from their mouth because drinking can make their blood diluted. But seawater fishes drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.
Well, we humans are dependent on a few things to survive. The most important thing for us is water.
You might have wondered many a time if creatures that are surrounded by water every time like fish need to drink water to survive? It is obvious to have
such questions in mind.
Most of the creatures on land need to drink water to stay hydrated. But what would you say when it comes to the aquatic animals who live under the water, all the time. Think of it in this way, would you feel hungry if you’re surrounded by pancakes all the time? Similarly, how can fish feel thirsty if they are surrounded by water all the time?
But it isn’t as simple as it seems. Both the seawater and the freshwater fish have different reactions to drinking water. It depends on the anatomy of their body.
Freshwater Fish
Freshwater Fish are those fish that are living in freshwater. Their blood has a higher concentration of salt as compared to the water they’re living. That is the reason why they don’t actively consume water to have a balance of salt. Instead of this, they drink water by their gills and skin, this process is called osmosis, and they urinate the excess water inside their body.
Seawater Fish
Seawater fish’s blood concentration level is lower than the water they live in most of the time. They have a constant threat of getting dehydrated, and so they drink water. These creatures have grills that help them is eliminating the excess salt, that process called excretion.
Now the question is, do fish get thirsty?
Well, the answer to this probably no. Because fishes live in water, and they won’t quite feel the urge to drink water as we humans do.
Image Source: dushkovladimir @ShutterStock
