How Fish Drink Water

Finny was a brave fish, his scales shining like the waves of the sea. He lived on a beautiful coral reef with his fishy friends.

One day, while Finny and his friends were playing among the coral, Finny had a wonderful thought. He wondered, “How do fish drink water?”

Finny’s friend, Squiggles, overheard him and swam over. “Drink water?” Squiggles blinked his fishy eyes in surprise. “Fish don’t drink water. We live in water, so we don’t need to drink it.”

Finny wrinkled his little, fishy forehead. “But I see water all around us. It seems like we should be drinking it.”

Squiggles laughed and explained, “You see, Finny, the water we live in is our home. We get what we need from it, like the way we breathe through our gills. But we don’t gulp down water like you might imagine.”

Finny agreed, but he still felt curious about the idea of drinking water. So he decided to swim around the coral reef to find someone who could help him understand.

As he explored, he spotted a wise old seahorse named Sandy, who was known for knowing all sorts of things. “Sandy,” Finny asked, “do fish really not drink water at all?”

Sandy chuckled softly. “Oh, my little Finny, it’s true. We fish don’t drink water like you might drink juice. The water we live in passes through our gills, and that’s how we get the oxygen we need to breathe. So, in a way, we do get a little drink of water with every breath.”

Finny’s eyes widened with understanding. “So, our gills help us stay hydrated?”

Sandy agreed, “Exactly! Our gills are like filters that take in the good stuff from the water, like oxygen, and let the rest flow back out.”

Finny was filled with wonder as he accepted Sandy’s knowledge. He returned to his friends and told them what he learned. They were all amazed by how their gills worked like little drinking straws, getting oxygen from the water surrounding them.

That night, Finny gazed up at the dazzling stars in the sea above as he sat up in his comfortable coral cave. He was thankful for his fishy friends, the ocean that was his home, and the amazing way they all kept “hydrated” with every beautiful flutter of their gills.

And so, with a heart full of wonder and a little belly full of fishy dreams, Finny drifted into a peaceful sleep.