Fish That Eat Worms

Carnivorous

• Diets of fish vary with each species. Some fish are omnivores, with a diet consisting of plant and animal matter. However, most fish are opportunistic carnivorous generalists. This means that despite species driven preferences, they usually eat a very wide range of animal matter (meat) based on whatever is accessible and available. This includes worms of all varieties -- marine and land based. A few of the many types of carnivorous fish that eat worms include hagfish, bass and skates.

Hagfish

• Hagfish are scavengers that generally feed off of dead marine animals, however they also prey on live worms, crustaceans and fish. Hagfish are jawless, scaless fish that resemble eels, belonging to the same class as lampreys. They are marine bottom dwellers, meaning that that they live on ocean floors. Hagfish grow up to 30 inches in length and consist of approximately 20 species. They are also called snot eels and slime eels, because they secrete large amounts of a bluish slime when disturbed. Hagfish are categorized in the family Myxinidae, order Cyclostomata and class Agnatha.

Bass

• Bass is the common name for fish that are members of the families Centrarchidae and Serranidae. They are highly diversified, exclusively carnivorous and are primarily marine with only are few species inhabiting freshwater. Distributed throughout the world, bass is a popular seafood option and game fish that is often caught by fisherman using worms. Some of the largest bass include the Pacific sea bass that grows up to seven feet and 600 pounds. Bass are classified in the families Serranidae and Centrarchidae, order Perciformes and class Osteichthyes.

Skates

• Skates have distinctive diamond-shaped bodies that are large, rounded and flattened. Growing up to eight feet in length and 200 pounds, skates can have an alarming appearance, but are harmless to people unless harassed. They are distributed throughout most parts of the world, and are commonly found on muddy or sandy sea bottoms. These carnivorous generalists have a diversified diet that includes fish, worms cephalopods and crustaceans. Skates are categorized in the families Rajidae, Arynchobatidae, and Anacanthobatidae, order Rajiformes and class Chondrichthyes.