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The fish that climbs trees
The Climbing Perch was discovered in 1791 in India by a
Dutch naturalist called Daldorff, who found the fish 5ft up
a palm tree, enjoying a trickle of water that ran down the
trunk.
In addition to the fleshy gills that all bony fishes have
for breathing in water, the gills of the Climbing Perch
have a special labyrinth organ which enables it to breathe
air.
These fishes do not in fact climb! They are occasionally
found on trees, perhaps having wriggled free from, or being
dropped by, a bird that has taken them into a convenient
tree to eat. The Climbing Perch can stay alive for a long
time out of water.
The gills of the Climbing Perch are not as efficient as
those of other bony fishes, so it has to rise to the
surface of the water every half hour or so to gulp air.
This ability to breathe air enables it to live in water
that contains little oxygen. If the water becomes too
stagnant however, the Climbing Perch emerges onto the land
and sets off in search of cleaner water. It moves across
country using wriggling tail movements, while the front end
of its body is propped up by the pectoral fins and
spiny gill covers.
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