Aquatics at a Glance

Aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, squid, sea urchins, and horseshoe crabs have all helped researchers further the understanding of body processes and the effects of drugs, diseases and toxins.

These animals are involved in a wide variety of research areas, including biochemistry, neuroscience, oncology, cell biology, toxicology, genetics, anatomy, evolution, and environmental science.

Zebrafish and African clawed frogs (Xenopus spp.) are the most common aquatic species involved in today’s biomedical research.

Did you Know?

Zebrafish are fast becoming a common model for researchers to study human disease.

70% of human genes are found in zebrafish.

Zebrafish can model Alzheimer's disease, congenital heart disease, polycystic kidney  disease and some cancers.

The zebrafish is one of the most common model organisms for genetic and developmental studies.

Zebrafish are important in animal testing and have replaced some other animals that were previously needed for some tests.

Zebrafish embryos, larvae, and young fish are important in studying the safety and efficacy of drugs.

  • Zebrafish

    Zebrafish are useful in research studies exploring basic biology and human disease mechanisms. They share 70% of their genetic makeup with humans.… Read More ›

  • Frog

    Xenopus (African clawed frog) is a model organism building our knowledge of vertebrate embryology and development, basic cell and molecular biology, genomics,… Read More ›