What fish breathe out of the water

Did you know that there are fish that can breathe out of the water? Some of these animals seem to have developed the capacity to survive both in the aquatic and terrestrial environments, at least for a short period of time. Generally, fish breathe through the gills filtering the oxygen from the water, but some species that can be known as amphibious fish, have modified some parts of their body such as fins or skin to move on land and breathe air from the atmosphere.

Do you want to meet these strange animals? Then, continue reading this article from .com and discover which fish breathe out of the water .

Mudskipper

To start talking about which fish breathe out of the water, we will start with one of the best known fish that can breathe and live out of the water for short periods of time. It is about the mudskipper or Periophthalmus , of which there are up to 20 different species of this type of fish, all of them discovered and described between the IXX and XX centuries and that live in the tropical zones of Africa.

This species of fish lives in mangroves and has a semi-aquatic life system like amphibians, a part of the time it passes in the water but it is also out of it and moves crawling and jumping through the mud, hence its name. They are one of the most active fish species out of water.

Therefore, this animal has gills that allow it to breathe in water and has also developed a method to breathe through its skin and mucous membranes, but it is only possible in very humid environments, having to stay in the vicinity of water and the mud. He has also developed cameras with bronchi that resemble the lungs to store oxygen. To move better they support their fins on the ground very close to the sides of the body and raise their heads slightly.

Therefore, they can store the oxygen they extract from the water in very low concentrations in order to stay out of the water.

Trout or climbing perch

The perch or climbing trout, of scientific name Anabas testudineus, is another species of fish that can breathe out of the water and survive like this for a while, in this case it can resist in humid environments for a much longer time than the jumping of the mud. This fish, also known as climber gourami, is native to Asia and, specifically, is found in eastern India and several regions of China, but has been taken to other parts of the world and in some of these areas has become a threat to autochthonous species, considering itself as an invasive species.

This other species of fish that defies the logic on how the fish breathe, can reach up to 25 cm long so it is easy to see when it is out of the water. A characteristic that allows this fish to move out of the water by jumping but keeping the balance well enough is the shape of its body, since it is somewhat flat in the belly area and can thus be better supported. In addition, you can climb steeply inclined trunks up to a height of 1.5 meters, hence its name.

The way of life of this fish consists of dwelling in ponds, ponds and streams, but when these dry up or their volume of water is greatly reduced they need to look for another place. For this reason, when they see themselves in this situation, they leave the pond where they are and move around jumping over land, even dry. It is possible to observe small groups that move together in some quite populated areas, because they hope to do it together to have more chances of surviving against predators.

They are able to survive out of the water for up to 24 hours in a row to move around and find a new place to live. In addition, they can get up to 6 days out of the water as long as they remain in a place with high humidity. The most important feature that allows all this is that they have an organ in the skull known as the labyrinth organ and, also, use their fins as support to propel themselves.

North snakehead fish

The northern snake-headed fish or Channa argus lives in Korea, China and Russia and can live out of the water for several days, although its breathing is both aquatic and aerial. For this reason, you also need to get oxygen from the air and it is normal to see them stick their mouth out of the surface of the water to catch air. Thus, this other species of fish that breathe out of the water of which only two subspecies are known, can also travel long distances on dry land to find another optimal place to continue living.

It is also considered an invasive species in many places on the planet so its tenure is highly regulated. It receives this name because its head is something flattened and remembers to that of a serpent or ophidian. All the characteristics that it presents, especially a suprabrachial organ that it has, allow it to live out of the water up to a week in humid places.

The bichir fish of Senegal

The bichir de senegal or Polypterus is another species of fish that can breathe out of water and is often mistaken for an eel but it is not. It is an elongated fish with well developed pectoral fins that allows it to lean and exert force to raise the head and move both inside and outside the aquatic environment.

There are three subspecies of this fish that can live out of the water for a while and can measure more than 35 centimeters. The system that allows you to be out of the water and breathe atmospheric air are poorly developed lungs that replace the swim bladder that fish usually have. Like all the other fish we have seen, you need to be in humid places to survive several days in a row outside the aquatic environment, but in this case, provided you have an adequate level of humidity you can prolong your stay out of the water indefinitely.

Other fish that can breathe out of water

There are many more species of fish that can breathe out of water, that is, they can breathe atmospheric air, but the ones described above are those that can easily be and survive out of the water for longer. Other fish that can breathe air are the following:

• Rivulín de manglar: it is a type of catfish that moves outside when it needs to change its place to live using its alps and with rocking movements back and forth. You can get oxygen from the air through your skin.
• Betta fish: as they need little oxygen to live these fish can be in completely stagnant waters for long periods and usually get oxygen from atmospheric air.
• Corydoras: also known as cleaners or dumps. They live in somewhat deep water and can survive with little oxygen, being able to extract it directly from the atmospheric air when they stick their mouth to the surface.