Fish are an integral part of our societies and culture. In addition to their economic value, they have considerable cultural and symbolic value. However, because of their aquatic way of life, in an environment which is almost completely foreign to us, their zoological distance from us, from their cold blood and their bodies covered with scales, we often consider them as dumb creatures of little interest except their delicate flesh and sometimes their beautiful colors.

And yet! What diversity! What incredible abilities! What fantastic adaptations! Fish have conquered virtually all the aquatic environments of our planet, even the most extreme. They are capable of elaborate behaviors and of complex social interactions and they can express individual characters like shyness or boldness. Like birds, they communicate with elaborate sounds. We have too largely ignored these fascinating animals because we misunderstand them and their environment. This course will therefore consider in general terms the biology and evolution of fish from either marine or freshwater origin. It will allow the students to better understand how fish work, how they evolve, how they adapt to diverse environments and the challenges they face.