As the country attaches great importance to ocean resources,the underwater robot has become a focus in research. As a kind of underwater robot,biomimetic robot fish is characterized by low-noise,casy-hide,etc. The body and/or caudal fin (BCF) biomimetic robot fish,which is propelled by body and/or caudal fin,has the advantages of high-speed,high-efficiency and good-maneuverability,has aroused general research interest in recent years. With the successful manufacture of the first robot fish in 1994,numerous excellent robotic fish have been applied to the fields of underwater archaeology,water quality monitoring and pollution detection. The categories and characters of BCF fish,the propulsive mechanism of the BCF fish and biomimetic fish,the research development of robotic fish fabrication China and abroad are introduced. The swimming drive,mechanical structure and performance of the works presented are analyzed and the technical problem faced by every driving mode is revealed. Based on the former research,the tendency and application prospect of the BCF biomimetic robot fish are summarized.