Untitled Document
 We
all know that fish live in water, right? Fish can't survive without water. But
a tropical fish can live out
of water! What is more surprising is that it can
live without water for months! The fish is called the Mangrove Rivulus. It is a
type of small tropical killifish. The fish lives
in shallow pools of water in
the tropical mangrove swamps of Belize, the United
States and Brazil. When its habitat dries up, it lives
on the land in logs.
The fish's scientific name is Rivulus
marmoratus. It can grow as large as 7.6 centimeters. They group together
in logs hollowed out by insects. And they breathe air through their
skin instead of their gills until they can find
water again!
The fish was found by a researcher in Belize recently. "I kicked
over a log and the fish just came tumbling out," said Scott Taylor,
a researcher at the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands
Program in central Florida.
He said he will publish his study on the
fish in The American Naturalist journal early next year.
"In lab tests, I found the fish can survive for up to 66 days
out of water without eating, and their metabolism keeps functioning," Taylor
said. It is a really amazing fish! |
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