The mudskipper, or fish that can walk, is something to look out for the next time you find yourself in some mud. The fact that it can survive without water and its bizarre frog-like eyes are just two of this oddball creature’s numerous bizarre characteristics. The Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) is a species of mudskipper that may be found in fresh, marine, and brackish seas. Periophthalmus barbarus is the scientific term in Greek for the eyes that give the Atlantic mudskipper its broad range of vision. The Atlantic mudskipper belongs to the genus Periophthalmus, which also includes oxudercine gobies with a single row of teeth that resemble canines.
Atlantic Mudskipper – Everything You Need to Know
Atlantic mudskippers inhabit mangrove swamps, brackish bodies of water close to the coast, and other regions. Angola, Ghana, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the countries where mudskippers may be found. The availability of food and shelter within these areas affects the Atlantic mudskippers’ dispersion. The Atlantic mudskipper’s hibernation may potentially have an impact on the distribution. Atlantic mudskippers are semi-aquatic creatures that inhabit places like mudflats where the water is somewhat salted. In tidal areas, Atlantic mudskippers may only emerge to eat at low tide; during high tide, they hide in their burrow.
What is Mudskipper Fish?
Gobiidae is a family of small tropical gobies that includes mudskipper fish. Mudskippers are classified within the Perciformes order, which has about six species. They can walk, climb, and skip around out of the water, and they may be found on mudflats, estuaries, and swamps. Below the body, they have pelvic fins and two dorsal fins that are either totally or partly fused forward. They have large, movable and close-set eyes on top of their blunt heads, and they may go inland thanks to their strong pectoral fins.
Animal name origin
With peri meaning “around” and ophthalmos meaning “eye,” the scientific name Periophthalmus barbarus comes from Greek and refers to the Atlantic mudskipper’s close-set eyes, which provide it a wider range of view. The word “barbarus” in Greek means “foreign,” maybe referring to the fact that it differs from other gobies in some ways. The general term “mudskipper” refers to the “skipping” motion on mudflats. The Atlantic mudskipper blinks a lot out of the water, actually this movement likely allows it to oxygenate itself by stirring the water surrounding its gills. The oviparous Atlantic mudskipper is territorial. Adults mostly consume insects or crustaceans for food.
Appearance
The length of the Atlantic mudskipper can reach up to 16 cm. By keeping water in their gill chambers, Atlantic mudskippers are also able to maintain their moisture content and breathe while they are not in the water. Atlantic mudskippers are able to regulate the opening and shutting of their gill chambers because they lack a membrane covering them. The gill chambers can be regulated by the variations in partial pressures or by the muscles around the slits.
In addition to storing water to keep it moist, the Atlantic mudskipper’s surface allows it to breathe via its skin, a process called cutaneous respiration because of their two pectoral fins, mudskippers are able to stay stable in the water while “skipping” on land. Along with pelvic fins that help the pectoral fins move on land, the Atlantic mudskipper also possesses a pair of caudal fins that help it move in the water. Adapted to terrestrial life, the pelvic fins serve as a sucker to secure the Atlantic mudskipper to the ground. Using their pelvic and pectoral fins, Atlantic mudskippers can also crawl and climb on land.
Habits and Lifestyle
Most Atlantic mudskippers live for around five years on average. The mother’s egg will hatch into larvae, which will swim out of the burrow and float for 30 to 50 days. Juveniles will hide in mud until they are mature enough to defend their designated area since Atlantic mudskippers are territorial.
Diet and Nutrition
When feeding on land, the Atlantic mudskipper uses a technique known as the “hydrodynamic tongue” to cover its meal with water and then draw the water and prey back into its mouth. Before coming ashore, the Atlantic mudskipper holds water in their mouth so they can eat. The Atlantic mudskipper, like other aquatic animals, feeds via suction while in the water. During suction-feeding, pressure is created by quickly opening the mouth and head, which draws in food and liquids.
Population threats
The Atlantic mudskipper’s conservation status is now categorized as “Least Concern.” Population declines of Atlantic mudskippers might be caused by inappropriate fishing techniques, such as electric fishing, overfishing, and uncontrolled pollution. The growing urbanization of the Atlantic mudskipper’s habitat poses a hazard as well.
Atlantic mudskippers survive in hot, humid climate because they improve cutaneous respiration and help regulate body temperature. On the surface, the body temperature of Atlantic mudskippers can vary from 14 to 35 degrees Celsius. The territorial Atlantic mudskipper erects a wall of mud to enclose its resources and territory because it stores food supplies, the one-meter-long area can help sustain Atlantic mudskipper populations.