Fish surviving the water sounds a bit bizarre. But there are seven amazing species of walking fish in nature that have additional organs to suck oxygen from the air, and these "fish walkers" provide a unique perspective on the evolution of early fish.
1. Bearded catfish
Clarias batrachus is a walking catfish that originally originated in Thailand, a very ugly fish, this bearded aggressive fish spread through Thailand to many parts of the world, and also appeared in the waters of Florida in the United States, they can be used as food for predatory birds and crocodiles.
Clarias batrachus is a walking catfish
Bearded catfish often use their critical suction ability to escape seasons and temporary ponds that are drying up, while also taking advantage of the rainy season conditions to further expand their range of survival, and sometimes after heavy rains, people will find bearded catfish crawling with their belly fins on flooded streets or highways.
2. Striped frogfish
Although the striped frog ray sometimes looks very much like a mudskipper, it is actually a type of mandarin fish, while the mudskipper is a type of goby. Striped frogs that can jump up to can crawl on land for up to 20 minutes, searching for food and dodging predator attacks if necessary.
Striped frog wren
Striped frogs use their ventral fins to crawl and are sometimes able to bend their muscular tails to "jump" quickly when they feel danger.
Structurally, striped frogs are a bit detached from the standard fish body and look a bit like sea iguanas, using bulging eyes to peer into the water surface and detect whether the surrounding environment is safe as the body crawls out of the water.
3. Mudskipper fish
Mudskipper is a species that looks a bit like a "sea monkey" in appearance, with fading fins, a slender body like a lizard, and protruding eyes like a bullfrog to look around.
Compared to other walking fish, mudskippers have more flexible fins and are able to crawl on the ground flexibly and maneuverably. They also rely on skin breathing to maintain blood oxygen levels, much like amphibians.
Mudskippers are a species that is detached from fish in appearance
4. Du Father Fish
Dubu is a native fish species in California, USA, that has the ability to crawl from one tide puddle to another, and if necessary, the fish can survive 24 hours out of the water.
Dufar is a native fish species in California, Usa
The Dufar has a history of 400 million years, it is a fish that lives in intertidal areas, gradually evolving to form the ability to breathe air, walk with fins, and be able to live comfortably on land.
5. Crawling silk-footed fish
Reptile silk-footed fish, also known as spotted climbing perch, originated in Africa and Southeast Asia. It has a labyrinth organ that captures water molecules in the air when crawling on the ground and uses its ventral fins to crawl shorter distances between ponds.
However, the crawling silk-footed fish's ground crawling ability looks a bit clumsy. They can crawl on the ground in groups at night.
Reptile silk-footed fish
6. Snakehead fish
Snakeheads can grow up to 1 meter, and historical records show that this fish can grow up to 1.5 meters. This fish is able to move from one pond to another. In 2004, the Discovery Channel aired the River Monsters series, describing the snakehead as a killer fish.
Snakehead fish
Snakeheads, which have the ability to crawl from one pond to another, thus finding food and swimming and breeding in a fresh water environment. Because they have an supragill organ that allows them to draw oxygen from the air, they can survive many days away from the water environment.
While the snakehead in North America is a terrible invasive species that moves from one pond to another, it is a delicious fish in eastern Asia, and fishermen are keen to farm snakeheads, which are known for their freshness and delicacy.
7. Eels
Eel catfish come from Africa and have a long, curved body that can grow up to 40 cm in size. Like the snakehead, the eel has an upper gill organ that draws oxygen from the air through its upper gill organs as it crawls to the ground in search of food.
They do not have pectoral fins, and eel catfish use special strategies to track their prey, usually feeding on beetles or other insects on the ground.
The vertebrae of eel catfish have unusual flexibility, especially in the neck area.
Eel catfish
When they are in the water, unable to suck food into their mouths, the eel catfish bends its neck downwards, allowing its throat to suppress prey from above.
This habit of life enables eel catfish to move from one pond to another, expanding their range in search of more food sources.