The Cold, the Wet and the Ugly Quiz

Answer: Mudskipper

The mudskipper moves about on land using its pectoral fins to "skip" across the ground, hence its name. When out of water, it breathes mostly through its skin, although it needs to remain moist to do so. It will die if its skin gets too dry, so it tends not to venture too far away from mudflats and other wet habitats.

Answer: Barbels

The barbels are taste organs, and the fish uses them to detect food in water that is too dirty for it to see easily. There are many different species of catfish; specifically, this picture shows a channel catfish, which is the most common species in North America. In the USA it is popular with anglers, and is often bred in commercial fish-farms.

Answer: Secretes large quantities of slime

The slime combines with water to create a glutinous slippery mass, which is believed to distract and disorientate the predator and thus enable the hagfish to escape. Another interesting fact about the hagfish is that it is the only living creature that has a skull but no backbone.

Answer: Cod

Entire fishing industries in a number of North American and European countries once revolved around the humble cod, which is probably why numbers have declined so drastically. Attempts have been made in the UK to promote other fish as an alternative accompaniment to chips, such as pollock, which looks and tastes similar but is still relatively abundant.

Answer: Goblin shark

This picture of a museum specimen shows the goblin shark with its jaws extended. Watching film of the animal attacking and shooting its jaws out, it is impossible not to be reminded of the creature in the "Alien" movies.

Answer: Piranha

While most species of piranha are indeed blessed with a mouthful of sharp teeth and a keen appetite for meat, contrary to popular belief they will not normally attack humans unless provoked. This has not stopped the movie industry from portraying them as having an uncontrollable appetite for human flesh (especially that of females in skimpy bikinis).

Answer: Stonefish

The stonefish's ability to lie still and look like a stone is unfortunate, as its dorsal spines contain a very powerful venom. This can in extreme cases be fatal to bare-footed humans who are unlucky enough to tread on them, although usually victims merely suffer excruciating pain before eventually recovering.

Answer: Mullet

There are two main species of mullet, the red mullet and the grey mullet, which are not related to each other. This picture, not surprisingly, depicts a red mullet (Mullus surmuletus).

There does not appear to be any etymological connection between the fish and the hairstyle, which is characterised as being long at the back but short at the front and sides. The Oxford English Dictionary credits the band The Beastie Boys with popularising the mullet in their 1994 song "Mullet Head".

Answer: False

The flesh of the red snapper is extremely tasty. The fish is commonly found around the Gulf of Mexico and the south-eastern coast of the USA. It is also becoming increasingly popular in the restaurants and shops of Europe as once-popular choices such as cod are becoming rarer and more expensive.

Answer: Tail

The monkfish is actually a species of anglerfish, which lures its prey by means of rod-like filaments projecting from its head. Its head is larger than the rest of its body put together, with the tail comprising less than 30% of the entire creature, so wastage is rather high when preparing it for eating. It is very tasty, though, with a meaty texture not unlike lobster.