does colder water equal darker colors and warmer water equal brighter flashier color?

[Prince Calypso]

I literally know next to nothing about fish as far as species and coloring fins types and all that
but was wondering does the temperature of the water and the salt content have anything to with a fish's size, color, or fins?
and how that would correspond with mermaids.
with mermaids living in the Pacific ocean be darker in color than mermaids living in the Atlantic?
would this effect the size or the mermaid or the length of her tail and what kind of fins would a colder water species have compared to a warmer water species.
i do know that predatory fish usually have more forked and pointed fins...but i might be mistaken.
any insight would be greatly appreciated

[AniaR]

That's a really interesting question. I think it has a lot to do with how much light gets down to where the fish are in terms of how visible colours are. I know my orange tail pops much better than other colours underwater.

Here's an interesting link: http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Ocean%20Science/08-07-feature.htm

[Mer-Crazy]

Although not an answer to your question I was actually thinking about this the other day. I'll mostly be in tropical waters with my tail, and I was getting worried maybe my tail doesn't look tropical enough. I tried to change the colours as much as possible to make blues green and purples look tropical haha.

[Prince Calypso]

Although not an answer to your question I was actually thinking about this the other day. I'll mostly be in tropical waters with my tail, and I was getting worried maybe my tail doesn't look tropical enough. I tried to change the colors as much as possible to make blues green and purples look tropical haha.

that's actually why I'm asking. i'm changing up my Mersona. i'm changing the color and design of the tail and fins though i still want to keep somewhat true to my On Stranger Tides, concept.
i wanted to make sure that the colors match of with my local area which is in California. I've traveled up along the cost to crescent city and its really cold and rocky there and i figured that fish there be darker in color but i'm not entirely sure.

[Prince Calypso]

That's a really interesting question. I think it has a lot to do with how much light gets down to where the fish are in terms of how visible colours are. I know my orange tail pops much better than other colours underwater.

Here's an interesting link: http://www.dtmag.com/Stories/Ocean%20Science/08-07-feature.htm

that actually was pretty freaking insightful
as complex as it was imagine if we applied those same theories to mermaids

[AniaR]

I know right? I'd love to see what you come up with! I feel like I've followed you so long now neat to see you evolve!

[Echidna]

Usually, fish colours and shapes match their environment.
There won't be much difference from one ocean to the other, important is whether a fish is benthic (flat and often mud coloured), pelagic (camouflaged with dark back and light belly), living in freshwater under plants, in a reef, etc.

There are also signal colours with venomous and other dangerous species.
Personally, I have an idea as to where and how the mer lives depending on tail colours/shape, at least with my own tails.
When I see a luminescent tail with lights on, I automatically go "deepsea mermaid".

But not everyone has a story for their tail or wants one, I mean, people like all sorts of tails but don't want to be restricted where they can use it story-wise.

[Meronica]

It seems more like a latitude thing than a Pacific vs. Atlantic distinction. Fish in the warm waters of the tropical regions tend to be more colorful to match their coral reef homes. Fish in the colder regions are either dull (but not necessarily dark or light) to blend in with rocks/sand, or pelagic (to blend in with light from below/shadows from above).

Fluke shape is probably most directly related to speed. Most of the fish with blunt or flowy tails hang out in still bodies of water (like bettas), or chill around the coral and just pluck algae off of their reef homes. Fish that have to race around the open oceans (whether they are predators or prey, sardines or marlins) tend to have sharper tail flukes.


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[SeaGlass Siren]

where is our marine biologist when you need him?

[Tiger Lily]

Ooh this sounds interesting! I'd like to learn more. Time to do a little research me thinks.

[Mermaid Menanna]

Actually, Echidna has the best, most accurate answer thus far. :-) Depth of the water plays a bigger role in color and fin shape than does temperature. Temp actually doesn't play much in those things aside from what food sources are sustained in each environment. If you want an example of a colorful coldwater fish look up the catalina goby. They're one of my favorite species. The same also applies to invertebrates. For an example of a colorful cold water invertebrate look up a picture of a "strawberry anemone" (another of my favorite species).

Something to keep in mind if you are contributing this theory to mermaids... mers are still air breathing, thus will spend a fair amount of time at the surface. While temp itself won't make a difference in skin tone, sun/uv rays will. Closer to the surface means more uv exposure, thus skin would tend to be darker.

In regards to the comment about fluke shapes and still water and the reference to bettas... the long flowing fins that most people associate with bettas is a genetic trait that has been toyed with by man. Wild bettas have short fins. Again, do a search for "wild betta splendins" and you will see examples of this. Bettas, much like goldfish, have been manipulated so much by people that it's becoming increasingly difficult to find them in their wild/natural appearance anymore.

One thing that plays a part in fin shape is what areas a fish tends to occupy. Gobies are a good example to see these changes. There are many true goby species and they come in a wide variety of fin shapes, including the fused pelvic fin which serves the purpose of a "suction cup" so that they can better adhere to rock formations. Other goby species, such as the neon goby, are very streamlined in shape, and they tend to be more of an open water swimmer vs the goby species with the fused pelvic fin who tend to be bottom dwellers.

When it comes to reef fish, keep in mind that there are deep water reefs as well as shallow reefs, and this applies to both tropical and cold water. Shallow reefs tend to contain animals that rely more on uv rays for things such as digestion and food, whereas deep water reef animals tend to rely more on predation of other animals and filter feeding.

There's a LOT that plays into where a fish lives, thrives, etc. and not all fish stay in the same environment their entire lives. Many fish travel great distances for mating and spawning, and newly hatched/live born fish will also travel through various salinity, depth, and temp changes as they grow and mature. This applies to both freshwater and saltwater animals.

(I am married to an aquatic biologist and I am an aquatic specialist, my specialty is in aquatic medicine) I can offer you examples of any fin style, color, etc. for fish that fall within most regions, both cold and tropical waters and at varying depths.