Category Fish & Aquatic Life

Does the Mexican Walking Fish actually walk?

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Does the Mexican Walking Fish actually walk?

The Mexican Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a freshwater amphibian in the salamander family. It is also known as the Mexican Walking Fish, but it is not a fish. Toads, frogs, newts, salamanders and axolotl are amphibians, living partly in water and partly on land. 

Unlike other amphibians, the Mexican Axolotl never leaves the water – it remains aquatic and never goes on land, so it does not walk on land. 

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Banded Leporinus

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The Banded Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus) is a freshwater ray-finned fish in the Anostomidae family of characid fish with toothed jaws and an adipose fin (second dorsal fin).

The Banded Leporinus has an elongated body with an upturned mouth. It is cream-coloured with 8-12 thick, black, vertical stripes on its body. It has a reddish patch underneath its mouth, and sometimes on its head and tail. 

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RESEARCH: Reef Sharks have friendship groups

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Marine research scientists have found out that Grey Reef Sharks hang out with the same friends in the same spot for years.

Researchers at the Florida International University in America have studied Grey Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) for four years in the remote Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

To study the Grey Reef Sharks, the researchers tagged about 40 individual sharks with acoustic transmitters that emit a unique high-frequency sound. A network of 65 receivers recorded the identiy of any tagged shark that came within 300 metres of any of the receivers. The batteries on the transmitters last for four years.

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Violescent Sea-Whip Coral

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The Violescent Sea-Whip Coral (Paramuricea clavata) is a marine (saltwater) soft coral in the Plexauridae family of coralins. It is a living animal, and not a plant.

The Violescent Sea-Whip Coral is a red fan-shaped branching colony of coral, which looks like a flat, one-dimensional tree. The stem and branches are stiffened by gorgonin, which is a complex protein that produces a hard skeleton. Covering the skeleton is a thin layer of coenenchyme with polyps. The polyps have eight tentacles (feeding arms) around a central mouth. It is sometimes also partly yellow in colour.

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Paternal care: which male animals make the best fathers?

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Which male animals make the best fathers? 

In the animal kingdom, there are many examples of mothers taking sole care of their young, and many examples of both parents raising their young together, but there are also father animals who solely look after their young. 

When mothers look after babies, it is called maternal care. When fathers look after babies, it is called paternal care. 

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What is the difference between the Four Stripe Damselfish and the Tuxedo Damselfish?

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What is the difference between the Four Stripe Damselfish (Dascyllus melanurus) and the Tuxedo Damselfish (Chrysiptera tricincta)?

The Four Stripe Damselfish and the Tuxedo Damselfish both belong to the Pomacentridae family of damselfish.

The Four Stripe Damselfish and the Tuxedo Damselfish are both tropical marine (saltwater) reef fish. 

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Tuxedo Damselfish

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The Tuxedo Damselfish (Chrysiptera tricincta) is a marine (saltwater) fish in the Pomacentridae family of damelfish. It is also known as the Threeband Damselfish or the Threeband Demoiselle. 

The Tuxedo Damselfish is white with three wide black vertical bands on its body. It has an oval-shaped, laterally-compressed body. It has a set of small teeth in three rows.

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Checkerboard Wrasse

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The Checkerboard Wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus) is a marine (saltwater) fish in the wrasse family. It is also known as the Marble Wrasse.

The Checkerboard Wrasse has a thin and elongated body. It is white to green in colour with blue to black on the ede of its scales, which looks like a checkerboard. Its head is greenish with pink lines and dots behind its eyes to the base of its dorsal (back) fin. It has a bright yellow spot near its dorsal fin. Both its sex and appearance change during its life. 

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Electric Eel

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The Electric Eel (Electrophorus electricus) is a freshwater fish. It is not an eel. It is a Gymnotiforme in the knifefish family. It is relatd to the Catfish. 

The Electric Eel is an ostarophysan fish because its bladder has two chambers which keeps it buoyant (afloat). It is an air-breather, and must come to the surface to breathe. 

The Electric Eeel has a long, cylindrical, snake-like dark-grey to brownish body. Its underbelly is yellow or orange. It has a fin that runs along its underbelly. It does not have scales like fish. Its mouth is square-shaped. 

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Yoyo Loach

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The Yoyo Loach (Botia almorhae) is a tropical freshwater fish in the Botiidae (botid) family of loaches. It is also known as the Almora Loach.

The Yoyo Loach has an elongated body with dark and light patterns, which looks like the letter “y” or the word yoyo. Its tail has thin horizontal greyish stripes. It has short whiskers, called barbels, on its snout (nose). It has a downward-facing mouth.

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Lookdown Fish

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The Lookdown Fish (Selene vomeror Argyriosus vomer) is a marine (saltwater) game fish in the Carangidae family of carangids. It is similar to the Atlantic Moonfish. 

The Lookdown Fish is a silvery fish with a pinkish tinge along its back. It has a scythe-like dorsal (back) fin and a forked tail fin. Its body is rhombus-shaped and laterally compressed (thin). Its head has a low-set mouth, high forehead, and big eyes. 

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