Male vs Female Fish
It could be a little difficult to distinguish a male fish from a female fish, as they do not have male organs sticking out of the body. Additionally, females do not have specialized features those would come out of their bodies to identify them as females. However, fishes manage to identify whether it is a male or a female as well as the best one to mate. For our naked eye, it is not that difficult to identify the males and females of the fishes. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the differences between male and female fishes.
Male Fish
Fish also share one of the common phenomena about being males that is the attractiveness. Male are more colourful, which is usually a main cause for their attractiveness. Ornamentation has a strong relationship with the condition of the male, and female attracts to the best looking one naturally. In many instances, the males are smaller with long fins. Guppy males would be a prime example for long fins. In goldfishes, the males have pointed pectoral fins with tubercles on the gill covers (operculum) developed during the mating seasons. In addition, goldfish males do not have prominent vents, which is in fact much common among many cichlid fishes. The mouth gives an important distinction in males having thicker lips with a more pronounced appearance. However, there are some extreme exceptions in some species against those briefly discussed facts; the male deep-sea ceratoid anglerfish is parasitic on its female, and live attached while losing all the organ systems except the reproductive organs.
Female Fish
Because of the presence of the most wanted female reproductive system, female fishes do not have to spend anything on being attractive. They always have the upper hand in selecting the mating partner, despite their dull and less colourful appearance. Females are large more often than not, and their fins are little on the shorter side. The belly is very distinctive and it sometimes sticks out as in an obese person, especially during spawning season. The vent is more prominent in goldfish and many other cichlid females with blunt pectoral fins without tubercles on the operculum. The lips are not prominent in a goldfish female, while female tilapia has a larger oral cavity to help her hatchlings protected and develop. Since there are always exceptions, this would be interesting to read that female callipterous fish are sixty times smaller than their males.
What is the difference between Male Fish and Female Fish?
The differences between male and female are various according to the fish species. However in common, the briefly listed male characters would be important to notice.
• Colourful and attractive appearance
• No distinct belly
• Usually small and slender bodies
• Long fins in general and pointed pectoral fins in particular
• Pronounced and thicker lips
• Tubercles on the operculum
The following list summarizes the more appealing female characters to distinguish them from the males.
• Less colourful and dull looking appearance compared to a male
• The belly is distinctive
• Usually larger body
• Short fins in general and blunt pectoral fins in particular
• The lips are not as thick as in males and mouth is not prominent
• No tubercles on the operculum