When we talk about fish we all think of animals with gills and living in a large amount of water, but did you know that there are some species that can breathe out of water? Whether for hours, days, or indefinitely, there are fish that have organs that enable them to survive in non-aquatic environments.
Nature is fascinating and has managed to make some fish modify their body to be able to move and breathe on land. Read on and discover with our site some fish that breathe out of water.
Mudfish
The mud fish or periophthalmus is one of the fish that breathe out of the water. It lives in tropical and subtropical regions, including the entire Indo-Pacific area and the African Atlantic. They can only breathe out of water if they stay in high humidity conditions, so they are always in muddy areas, hence their name.
In addition to having gills to breathe in water, they have a respiration system through the skin, mucous membranes and the pharynx that it allows them to breathe outside of it as well. They also have gill chambers that store oxygen and help them breathe in non-aquatic spaces.
Climbing perch
This is a freshwater fish native to Asia that can grow up to 25 cm long, but what makes it so special is that it can survive out of the waterup to six days as long as it is wet. During the drier times of the year, they burrow into dry creek beds for moisture to survive. These fish can breathe out of the water thanks to the so-called labyrinth organ that they have in their skull.
When the streams they inhabit dry up, they have to find a new place to live and for this they move even on dry land. They have a slightly flattened belly, so they can lean on the ground when they leave the ponds where they live and "walk" on the ground using their flippers to find another place to live.
Northern Snakehead
This fish, whose scientific name is Channa Argus, comes from China, Russia and Korea. It has a suprabranchial organ and a bifurcated ventral aorta that allows it to breathe both air and water. Thanks to this it can survive several days out of the water in humid places. It receives the name of snake head because of the shape of its head, which is a bit flattened.
Senegal bichir fish
The polypterus, Senegal bichir or African dragon fish is another fish that can breathe out of the water. They can measure up to 35 cm and can be propelled outside thanks to their pectoral fins. These fish breathe out of the water thanks to some primitive lungs instead of a swim bladder which means that, if kept moist, they can live in non-aquatic environmentsindefinitely
