Pelvic fins are the paired find that appear on the ventral aspect of many fishes. They’re mainly used as a rudder to help steer the fish.
Some fish such as the female Corydoras use them to cup the eggs they have just laid, holding them in position until they get milt from the males to fertilise them.
Some fish such as the gobies use these find as ‘suction cups’, attaching themselves to smooth surfaces so that don’t have to swim all the time.
However, some fishes such as the gouramis have their pelvic fins in a rather anterior position, and they don’t even look like fins! Instead, they are so very elongate and are so modified that they serve the function of “feelers”! Check them out, checking each other out, the next time you’re in the aquarium store.
Do you know other functions fish have for these pelvic fins? Please do share them.
