The common hatchetfish or river hatchetfish, Gasteropelecus sternicla, is a tropical fish belonging to the freshwater hatchetfish family (Gasteropelecidae). Originating in South America in the Peruvian and middle Amazon, the Guianas and Venezuela, it grows to about 2.5 inches (6.5 cm). The fish gets its name from its relatively large protruding belly which resembles a hatchet. Hatchetfish will often jump out of the water when alarmed, propelled by their large, winglike pectoral fins. They may also jump to catch small aerial insects.
Read more about Common Hatchetfish: Hatchetfish in Aquaria
Famous quotes containing the word common:
“The fact is that my wife if she had common sense would have more power over me than any other whatsoever, for my heart always alights upon the nearest perch.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)