B.+taipingensis


 * Chinese Bahaba**

Animal Classification:Bahaba Taipinggensis (Chinese Bahaba).

Family: Scieanidae family.

Order:Perciformes

Class: Actinopterygii

Endangered Species Act: It was assessed in 2006. The declines have occurred and the vulnerabilty of large marine fishes, predicts that this spcecies maybe close to extinction.

Description of Habitat: is the Pacific (Northwest). Its native countries are Hong Kong and China.

Location of Ecosystem: Coastlines of the East and South China Sea.

Temperature: to 28.5 degrees Celcius.

Salinity: 33.0 to 35.0

Currents: Cromwell Current, Aleutian Current, Mindanao Current, and the North and South Equatorial Current.

Tides: Pacific Ocean Tides and the Northwest Tides.

Travels/Migrates: Migrates to estuarine waters (mostly to breed).

Appearance: They exceed from 6 feet in length and weigh about 200 pounds. Most have red or black eyes and have bluish shiny silver scales. They have a long dorsel fin on the upper part of their body and their most distinctive feature is their golden lips.

Reproduction: Most of the spawning is found in the estuaries. Adults are usually found in thed deeper areas after they leave the young in other estuaries and coastal areas.

Anatomy: Most have bone of skeleton, but some may have bone of cartilage. Its body parts include the lateral line organ, which is a series of fluid-filled ducts located just under the scales. It helps pick vibrations from the water, helps fish find food, and to point out their pradators. The swim bladder is an air filled sac that helps fish keep their bouyancy so they don't sionk or float. The gills is an organ which gases can be exchanged between fish and the water it is in. The fins are used for nest-biulding, stability, movement, and reproducing. The caudal or tail fin is used for propulsion to make the fish swim faster. The single dorsel fin helps the fish keeps its balance while swimming and is located right on the top of the fish.They can be single or paired. For example, the anal fin which is on the underside of the body, stabalizes the fish while it's swimming. The pectoral fins are paired and help manuever fish, they are located near the gill's cover.

Population: Their population is slowly decreasing and they are headed for extinction.

Food Chain: They eat shrimps, crabs, other crustaceans, and lizard fish. Sharks, sting rays and whales feed on the Chinese Bahaba.

Economic Importance: In traditional Chinese Medicine, their swim bladders are used to treat a very specific problem. Humans are willing to pay more then HK $ 100,000 per kg for their swim bladders.

Threats: Overfishing for these fish's swim bladder is decreasing their population. Also, people polluting the oceans helps kill off any fish in general.

Conservation Efforts: There is no legal protection in Hong Kong waters, except the areas that ban fishing activites.

I can Help By: Supporting the S.O.S (Save Our Seas) campaigne, to increase the protection of the marine environment. Closing off some fish grounds for the summer would help and make a huge difference in their population. Letting them fully grow from juveniles to mature adults would save their species as well.

Fun Facts! : Their nicknames are the "yellow croaker" and "soft gold". The swim bladder is an air filled sac that they fill up or empty with air allowing them to readjust their buoyancy (capacity to remain afloat in a liquid or rise in air or gas), and move up and down in the water, and is also the most valuable part of their body. They also make repetitive drumming sounds for communication purposes. They make these nioses by beating their abdominal muscles against their swim bladder. This is an interesting trait but also lets fishermen hear them for an easier catch.

1) What does the Chinese Bahaba eat? 2) What is the Chinese Bahaba's biggest threat? 3) How does it reproduce? Where?

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