The pelvic fins compare to a land animal's legs. Their function is to act as stabilizers and provide some directional control.

Adaptations of the pelvic fins do occur. The "feelers" of gouramis, a sensing and tasting organ, have evolved from the pelvic fins.

As the drawings below show, pelvic fins may be positioned anywhere from the throat to the abdomen. It is this reason that they are sometimes referred to by different names; Anterior, Ventral and Posterior fins. Sometimes ventral pelvic fins are fused with the anal fin, in which case they are used for propulsion.