This kind of fish lives in Africa, and its name is African lungfish. Some people also call it mud fish. When water resources are relatively abundant, African lungfish will also live in the water. In addition to being able to breathe through its gills like other fish, it also has a skill that other fish cannot do, which is that it can use its swim bladder as a The lungs carry out breathing, which is where its name comes from.
During the dry season, Africa often faces an extreme shortage of water resources. If other fish encounter this situation, they will probably end up as dried fish. But lungfish is different. It can burrow into the mud to hibernate. At this time, the fish's swim bladder acts as lungs for breathing. The swim bladder structure of lungfish is very different from that of other fish, and is closer to the lung structure of terrestrial animals.
The dormant time of lungfish can reach up to 3 to 5 years. During this period, it does not need water. During drought, it will burrow into the soil, and then in order to prevent the loss of water in the body, it will secrete a mucus to wrap around the body, leaving a small hole for breathing, and then maintain life by consuming its own muscles and fat. , but at the same time, its metabolism will also be reduced to a minimum.
In terms of appearance, the African lungfish is not very good-looking, but its ability is very powerful among fishes. In the local area, Africans often catch this kind of fish to eat. In addition to catching fish in the water during the rainy season when water resources are sufficient, they also dig barramundi in the soil during the dry season, just like people dig for seeds in normal times. The same as the vegetables in the ground, but there is still a big difference between the image of the dormant lungfish in the soil and the image when it is in the water. It looks like it has become a dried fish, but it is actually still alive.
