Mudskipper. Land of Dragons Nature - Planet Doc Full Documentaries
- 7 years ago
The mudskipper is one of the few species of fish in the world capable of living out of the water.
This amazing ability means it can feed on the tiny algae, crustaceans and worms which live among the mangroves. And it comes out of the water not just to get food. Courtship also takes place on land.
The male shows off his dorsal fin to the females. As they don’t have legs, the mudskippers use their pectoral fins to propel themselves along. To breathe, they use a system similar to the crabs: they retain water in their gills. When they ingest food, they have to expel this water, so the mudskippers constantly need to replenish their reserves. This also keeps their skin wet, this is very important, because that is another way in which they absorb oxygen.
This amazing ability means it can feed on the tiny algae, crustaceans and worms which live among the mangroves. And it comes out of the water not just to get food. Courtship also takes place on land.
The male shows off his dorsal fin to the females. As they don’t have legs, the mudskippers use their pectoral fins to propel themselves along. To breathe, they use a system similar to the crabs: they retain water in their gills. When they ingest food, they have to expel this water, so the mudskippers constantly need to replenish their reserves. This also keeps their skin wet, this is very important, because that is another way in which they absorb oxygen.