Shoal

A shoal is a bunch of fish that hang out together in one spot. Just like how you like to hang out with your friends at the playground or in your classroom, fish like to hang out with each other too! When fish swim around in big groups like this, it's called a shoal.

Sometimes, these shoals can look really cool! You might see lots of fish all swimming together in the same direction, almost like a giant, moving cloud of fish. Scientists think that fish form shoals to help protect themselves. When they're swimming together, they're harder for predators, or animals that might eat them, to catch.

Shoals can also help fish find food. If one fish finds a yummy treat to eat, like a bug floating in the water, it can tell all of its friends in the shoal where to find it. That way, everyone gets to share in the food!

So, basically, think of a shoal like a big group of fish friends who all hang out together, swim around together and help protect each other.