Polyopterus annectens
The African lungfishes are the genus Protopterus and constitute the four species of lungfish found in Africa. Protopterus is the sole genus in the family Protopteridae.
African lungfishes are elongated, eel-like fishes, with thread-like pectoral and pelvic fins. They have soft scales, and the dorsal and tail fins are fused into a single structure. They can either swim like eels, or crawl along the bottom, using their pectoral and pelvic fins.
The largest species reach about 200 centimetres (6.6 ft) long.
African lungfishes generally inhabit shallow waters such as swamps and marshes, however they are also found in larger lakes such as Lake Victoria. They can live out of water for many months in burrows of hardened mud beneath a dried-up stream bed. They are carnivorous, eating crustaceans, aquatic insect larvae, and molluscs.
It kinda grew bigger since I got it.
The African lungfish is an example of how the evolutionary transition from breathing water to breathing air can happen. Lungfish are periodically exposed to water with low oxygen content or situations into which their aquatic environment dries up. Their adaptation for dealing with these conditions is an outpocketing of the gut, related to the swim bladder of other fishes, that serves as a lung.[1] The lung contains many thin-walled blood vessels, so blood flowing through those vessels can pick up oxygen from air gulped into the lung.
The African lungfishes are obligate air breathers, with reduced gills in the adults. They have two anterior gill arches that retain gills so it can breathe either air or water.
The lungfish heart has adaptations that partially separate the flow of blood into its pulmonary and systemic circuits. The atrium is partially divided, to that the left side receives oxygenated blood and the right side receives deoxygenated blood from the other tissues. These two blood streams remain mostly separate as they flow through the ventricle leading to the gill arches. As a result oxygenated blood mostly goes to the anterior gill arches and the deoxygenated blood mostly goes to the posterior arches.
African lungfishes breed at the beginning of the rainy season. They construct nests or burrows in the mud to hold their eggs, which they then guard against predators. When they hatch, the young resemble tadpoles, with external gills, and only later develop lungs and begin to breath air.
Native Africans have been found to dig up lungfishes, burrow and all, and store it for later use when they want fresh fish to eat. These fish have also been carried in their mud burrows for exhibition in the United States. They have a strong taste. The taste is such that "it is locally either highly appreciated or strongly disliked".
As technology advancements such as longlines and gillnets have been increasingly applied over the past fifty years, it is believed that the lungfish populations there are decreasing.-(when available- the ones one the market are most probably wild caught!).
In Uganda, females do not eat the lungfish because they consider it a "sister fish," and therefore it is associated with men and manhood. (article taken from Wikipedia... ;))
Note: Not stated in the article- Lungfish can live up to 25 years, yours may not live that long, but it may seems like it. Their teeth plate can crush/severe fingers. DON'T TRUST LUNGFISH WITH CHILDREN, or vice versa, ESPECIALLY THE VICE VERSA. ;)
Description
African lungfishes are elongated, eel-like fishes, with thread-like pectoral and pelvic fins. They have soft scales, and the dorsal and tail fins are fused into a single structure. They can either swim like eels, or crawl along the bottom, using their pectoral and pelvic fins.
The largest species reach about 200 centimetres (6.6 ft) long.
African lungfishes generally inhabit shallow waters such as swamps and marshes, however they are also found in larger lakes such as Lake Victoria. They can live out of water for many months in burrows of hardened mud beneath a dried-up stream bed. They are carnivorous, eating crustaceans, aquatic insect larvae, and molluscs.
It kinda grew bigger since I got it.Biology
The African lungfish is an example of how the evolutionary transition from breathing water to breathing air can happen. Lungfish are periodically exposed to water with low oxygen content or situations into which their aquatic environment dries up. Their adaptation for dealing with these conditions is an outpocketing of the gut, related to the swim bladder of other fishes, that serves as a lung.[1] The lung contains many thin-walled blood vessels, so blood flowing through those vessels can pick up oxygen from air gulped into the lung.
Lungfish will drown if denied access to breathe from the surface, but they're easy to keep. They don't care about the water perimeter.
The African lungfishes are obligate air breathers, with reduced gills in the adults. They have two anterior gill arches that retain gills so it can breathe either air or water.
The lungfish heart has adaptations that partially separate the flow of blood into its pulmonary and systemic circuits. The atrium is partially divided, to that the left side receives oxygenated blood and the right side receives deoxygenated blood from the other tissues. These two blood streams remain mostly separate as they flow through the ventricle leading to the gill arches. As a result oxygenated blood mostly goes to the anterior gill arches and the deoxygenated blood mostly goes to the posterior arches.
Lungfish checking out its meal. It chews its food into a mush held together by a glue-like secretion. This can go on for up to 20 minutes. After it's satisfied, it'll swallow the mush!
African lungfishes breed at the beginning of the rainy season. They construct nests or burrows in the mud to hold their eggs, which they then guard against predators. When they hatch, the young resemble tadpoles, with external gills, and only later develop lungs and begin to breath air.
As food
Native Africans have been found to dig up lungfishes, burrow and all, and store it for later use when they want fresh fish to eat. These fish have also been carried in their mud burrows for exhibition in the United States. They have a strong taste. The taste is such that "it is locally either highly appreciated or strongly disliked".
It's a well-known fact that big fish got personality- mine is camera-shy to the extreme!
As technology advancements such as longlines and gillnets have been increasingly applied over the past fifty years, it is believed that the lungfish populations there are decreasing.-(when available- the ones one the market are most probably wild caught!).
In Uganda, females do not eat the lungfish because they consider it a "sister fish," and therefore it is associated with men and manhood. (article taken from Wikipedia... ;))
Here is a good video from BBC showing how tough a lungfish is.
Note: Not stated in the article- Lungfish can live up to 25 years, yours may not live that long, but it may seems like it. Their teeth plate can crush/severe fingers. DON'T TRUST LUNGFISH WITH CHILDREN, or vice versa, ESPECIALLY THE VICE VERSA. ;)
