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Now This is A Fish Story!
Scientists have recently discovered that the mangrove killifish can alter the way it breathes which enables it to live out of water for several months of the year!
What does this tiny little guy do when he is not living in the water? Why he is living in trees of course! Around two inches long, they normally live in muddy pools and the flooded burrows of crabs in the mangrove swamps of Florida, Latin American and Caribbean. But sometimes they like to hide out in the decaying roots and trunks of trees! Isn't that cool!???? And as if that wasn't interesting enough, this fish has the ability to breed without a mate.
This is how they change so they can live out of water: Their gills are altered to retain water and nutrients, while they excrete nitrogen waste through their skin. They were found lined up end to end with other killifish inside of burrowed insect tunnels. They have to curb their normal aggressive tendencies to survive in these tight quarters. As Spock would say...fascinating!
There are other fish that can breathe out of water. The walking catfish of South-east Asia has gills that allow it to breathe in air and in water. The climbing perch of India can suffocate in water unless it can also gulp in air.
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