# Quite possibly the stupidest question ever. Do fish drink?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 14, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943 "2011-11-14T22:40:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/1 "2011-11-14T22:40:25Z")
Hello All,
One of my children asked me tonight if fish drink. I honestly don’t know. I do know that every living organism needs water, but I don’t know if fish actually swallow water like we do or just absorb it. Also, do they need fresh water for their systems and if so how do they desalinize (sp?) it?
---
### Author:  [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/2 "2011-11-14T23:05:04Z")
Yes. Almost constantly. They have little choice, every time they eat, a mouthful of water comes along for the ride. They also absorb water through their skin, which is not waterproof like ours. Freshwater fish, therefore produce copious, dilute urine. (Your child is probably going to ask that, now) Salt water fish produce concentrated urine, they have to get rid of adsorbed salts and conserve water.
---
### Author:  [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/3 "2011-11-14T23:11:49Z")
[This](http://www.upendedblog.com/2011/10/25/obvious-questions-in-science-how-do-fish-drink/) pretty much sums it up.
---
### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/4 "2011-11-14T23:23:57Z")
They drink like fish.🙂
They also [Answer the Telephone](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Answer-Telephone-Other-Bizarre-Books/dp/0719560187). (This is a book about a real book called _Fish Who Answer the Telephone_.)
---
### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/5 "2011-11-14T23:31:34Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> They drink like fish.🙂
> They also [Answer the Telephone](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Answer-Telephone-Other-Bizarre-Books/dp/0719560187). (This is a book about a real book called _Fish Who Answer the Telephone_.)
i thought only Charlie did that.
---
### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quite-possibly-the-stupidest-question-ever-do-fish-drink/602943/6 "2011-11-15T01:51:41Z")
[Do Fish Drink Water? : Puzzling and Improbable Questions and Answers by Bill McLain](http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Drink-Water-Improbable-Questions/dp/B000CC49IA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321321554&sr=1-1)
[Do Fish Drink? First Questions and Answers about Water by Jacqueline A. Ball and Stuart Trotter](http://www.amazon.com/Drink-First-Questions-Answers-about/dp/0783508506/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321321554&sr=1-2)