Why Do Fish Jump?

If you have an aquarium full of fish, you might have witnessed your fish jumping. Let’s take a look at some common causes.

- Melissa Especkerman

It’s always an amazing sight to see a fish or two leap out of the water and dive back in again. As it is not something that is commonly seen, you might want to try to take a quick snap for social media. If you’re by a river or lake, the fish will likely land safely back into the water before you can even whip out your phone. Unfortunately, if it happens at home, your fish will sadly, land on the floor.

Why then do fish jump? Are they running, or rather swimming away from something or simply having a little bit of fun? Well, it all depends.

Aquarium fish and those in the wild are known to jump for several reasons. In some cases of fish in the wild, fish have been known to jump out of the water to escape from predators or to hunt prey.

However, in a study by researchers Daphne Soares and Hillary S Bierman from the University of Maryland, which focused on the behaviour of guppies, it was clear the guppies were not jumping to escape from being hunted nor were they in search for food. So why are these fish still jumping out of their tanks?