• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / Why do some fish explode like a balloon when they are caught and brought to the surface?

Why do some fish explode like a balloon when they are caught and brought to the surface?

July 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

Here’s why it happens: Most fish keep their equilibrium while in the water with an air bladder that balances out their body mass and makes them essentially weightless, neither sinking nor floating to the surface.

This is energy-efficient for them, so they don’t have to continuously flap their fins and tails to stay at a desired depth.

A deep-swimming fish needs a lot of gas in its bladder to withstand the extra water pressure of deep water.

While fish can make subtle adjustments to the amount of air inside their bladders, they can’t do it quickly enough if they’re caught on a hook and dragged suddenly toward the surface.

As their bodies rapidly pass through the water from a lot of pressure to a middling amount, their bladders expand. This is sometimes enough to kill them before they even reach the surface.

Finally, when the fish is pulled out of the water into the low pressure of the air, blam! Fish pieces everywhere.

Not all deep-sea creatures explode, however, because some don’t have bladders. You can tell because they drift to the bottom when they stop moving.

Sharks don’t have them, and neither do skates or stingrays.

Related Facts

  • How do Fish in the Ocean Die or Explode if Brought to the Surface too Fast?
  • Can Fish Get the Bends From Staying Underwater For Too Long?
  • How Does a Fish Swim Up and Down In Water?
  • Why Does Fish Cook So Much Faster Than Other Meats?
  • Where do Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses come from and How do they make us sick?
  • Why Does Warm Air Hold More Moisture Than Cold Air?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Which cephalopod can swim faster a squid or an octopus?
Next Post: Why isn’t Cod-liver oil used as supplements for vitamins A and D anymore? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy