Fish vs. Reptiles: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on February 26, 2024
Fish are aquatic, gill-bearing animals without limbs with digits, while reptiles are terrestrial, lung-breathing vertebrates usually having scales and laying eggs.
Key Differences
Fish are aquatic animals with gills, enabling them to breathe underwater. They typically have fins and are covered in scales. Reptiles, on the other hand, are primarily land-dwelling creatures with lungs for breathing air. They often have scaly skin and lay eggs, though some give birth to live young.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
In terms of reproduction, most fish lay eggs in water. Their eggs are often fertilized externally. Reptiles usually lay shelled eggs on land, and fertilization is internal. Some reptiles, like certain species of snakes and lizards, can give birth to live young, which is not a trait seen in fish.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
The body temperature regulation differs significantly between fish and reptiles. Fish are cold-blooded (ectothermic), meaning their body temperature varies with the water temperature. Reptiles are also ectothermic, but they can regulate their temperature through behavioral means, like basking in the sun.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
Habitat is another major difference. Fish are confined to aquatic environments, ranging from freshwaters to the deep sea. Reptiles can inhabit a wide range of environments, including deserts, forests, and wetlands. Their ability to live on land is a key distinguishing feature.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
Evolutionary history shows distinct paths for fish and reptiles. Fish are older in the evolutionary timeline and are a crucial step in the evolution of vertebrates. Reptiles evolved from amphibians and gave rise to birds and mammals, showcasing a significant evolutionary advancement in vertebrate history.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
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Comparison Chart
Body Temperature
Ectothermic, varies with water
Ectothermic, often regulate through behavior
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Feb 26, 2024
Reproduction
Mostly lay eggs, external fertilization
Lay eggs or give birth to live young, internal fertilization
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Feb 26, 2024
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Fish and Reptiles Definitions
Fish
A creature hunted or caught for food in water.
They went fishing and caught a large bass.
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Jan 19, 2024
Reptiles
An animal with dry scaly skin that lays soft-shelled eggs on land.
Turtles are unique reptiles with hard shells protecting their bodies.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fish
To seek something by probing or delving.
He fished for his keys in his crowded backpack.
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Jan 19, 2024
Reptiles
A term used to describe a person who is considered treacherous or deceitful.
In the movie, the villain was referred to as a cold-blooded reptile.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fish
A person who is new to or inexperienced in a certain activity.
She felt like a fish out of water at the new school.
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Jan 19, 2024
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Reptiles
A cold-blooded vertebrate of a class that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises.
Snakes are reptiles known for their legless bodies and slithering movement.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fish
Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates characteristically having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including the bony fishes, such as catfishes and tunas, and the cartilaginous fishes, such as sharks and rays.
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Jan 18, 2024
Reptiles
A creature often characterized by its ability to regulate body temperature through external means.
The iguana, a type of reptile, basks in the sun to warm itself.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fish
Any of various jawless aquatic craniates, including the lampreys and hagfishes.
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Jan 18, 2024
Reptiles
A member of the animal class that breathes air and usually has a vertebral column.
Crocodiles, powerful aquatic reptiles, are found in rivers and lakes.
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Jan 19, 2024
Reptiles
Any of various usually cold-blooded egg-laying vertebrates often grouped in the class Reptilia, having dry skin covered with scales or horny plates and breathing by means of lungs, and including the snakes, lizards, crocodilians, and turtles. In some classification systems, birds are considered to be reptiles because they are descended from reptilian dinosaurs.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(Informal) A person, especially one considered deficient in something
A poor fish.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To look for something by feeling one's way; grope
Fished in both pockets for a coin.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To catch or pull as if fishing
Deftly fished the corn out of the boiling water.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(countable) A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills.
Salmon is a fish.
The fishmonger sells fishes from all over the world.
Ichthyologists study the fish of the world.
We have many fish in our aquarium.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(uncountable) The flesh of the fish used as food.
The seafood pasta had lots of fish but not enough pasta.
Though Lena is a vegetarian, she doesn't have any problem with eating fish.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(uncountable) A card game in which the object is to obtain cards in pairs or sets of four (depending on the variation), by asking the other players for cards of a particular rank.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
A makeshift overlapping longitudinal brace, originally shaped roughly like a fish, used to temporarily repair or extend a spar or mast of a ship.
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Fish
(zoology) A paraphyletic grouping of the following extant taxonomic groups:
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
Within infraphylum Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates (also including Tetrapoda))
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Fish
A period of time spent fishing.
The fish at the lake didn't prove successful.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
An instance of seeking something.
Merely two fishes for information told the whole story.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(intransitive) To hunt fish or other aquatic animals in a body of water.
We went fishing for crabs by the pier.
She went to the river to fish for trout.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(transitive) To search (a body of water) for something other than fish.
They fished the surrounding lakes for the dead body.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
(intransitive) To (attempt to) find or get hold of an object by searching among other objects.
Why are you fishing through my things?
He was fishing for the keys in his pocket.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To talk to people in an attempt to get them to say something, or seek to obtain something by artifice.
The detective visited the local pubs fishing around for more information.
The actors loitered at the door, fishing for compliments.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To repair (a spar or mast) by fastening a beam or other long object (often called a fish) over the damaged part (see Noun above).
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
A name loosely applied in popular usage to many animals of diverse characteristics, living in the water.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
An oviparous, vertebrate animal usually having fins and a covering scales or plates. It breathes by means of gills, and lives almost entirely in the water. See Pisces.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To attempt to catch fish; to be employed in taking fish, by any means, as by angling or drawing a net.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
To seek to obtain by artifice, or indirectly to seek to draw forth; as, to fish for compliments.
Any other fishing question.
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
Any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills;
The shark is a large fish
In the livingroom there was a tank of colorful fish
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
The flesh of fish used as food;
In Japan most fish is eaten raw
After the scare about foot-and-mouth disease a lot of people started eating fish instead of meat
They have a chef who specializes in fish
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
The twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20
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Fish
Catch or try to catch fish or shellfish;
I like to go fishing on weekends
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Jan 18, 2024
Fish
An aquatic vertebrate animal with gills and fins.
The trout is a type of fish that thrives in cold, clear waters.
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Jan 19, 2024
Fish
To try to obtain information indirectly.
He fished for compliments about his new haircut.
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Jan 19, 2024
Repeatedly Asked Queries
What are key characteristics of reptiles?
Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates, usually with scaly skin.
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Feb 26, 2024
Do reptiles lay eggs or give birth?
Reptiles mostly lay eggs, but some give birth to live young.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
What kind of habitat do fish need?
Fish live in aquatic environments like oceans, rivers, and lakes.
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Feb 26, 2024
Can reptiles regulate their body temperature?
Reptiles are ectothermic but can regulate temperature behaviorally.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
Do reptiles show parental care?
Some do, but it's less common compared to other vertebrates.
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Feb 26, 2024
What’s the lifespan of reptiles?
Lifespans vary widely, from a few years to over a century in tortoises.
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Feb 26, 2024
Are there vegetarian fish?
Yes, some fish species are primarily herbivorous.
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Feb 26, 2024
Are reptiles found in deserts?
Yes, some reptiles are well-adapted to desert environments.
Shumaila Saeed
Feb 26, 2024
Can fish feel pain?
Studies suggest fish can experience discomfort or pain.
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Feb 26, 2024
How do fish breathe?
Fish breathe oxygen dissolved in water through their gills.
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Feb 26, 2024
Do reptiles breathe with lungs?
Yes, reptiles have lungs for air breathing.
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Feb 26, 2024
Can reptiles be pets?
Yes, many reptiles like turtles and lizards are kept as pets.
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Feb 26, 2024
Do reptiles have good vision?
Vision varies among reptiles, with some having excellent eyesight.
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Feb 26, 2024
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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