Lungfish: Description, Types, Pictures, & Fun Facts

Lungfish: All You Need To Know

The Lungfish (Dipnoi) is an omnivorous fish that belongs to the Animalia family, phylum Chordata, class Sarcopterygii, order Dipnoi. The lungfish can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh up to 37 pounds, with a lifespan up to more than 20 years.

Lungfish are freshwater fish that feed on worms, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, plants, and other lungfish. Lungfish is preyed upon by humans.

Modified lungs for buoyancy, breathing, and waste extraction are the distinguishing characteristics. Physical characteristics include brown, grey, yellow, green, and blue colours, with scales on the skin.

The contemporary lungfish is descended from a lineage that stretches back about 400 million years. This “living fossil” is frequently referred to as primitive, although this does not imply that its features are primitive; rather, it has altered very little since it initially evolved.

The existence of the internal lung, which serves several uses, is the most intriguing feature of the lungfish. The lung, like other fish’s swim bladder, provides buoyancy when swimming while also absorbing oxygen and removing waste.

4 Incredible Lungfish Facts!

1. Most animals must breathe completely through their pair of lungs, despite the existence of diminished or vestigial gills. The only lungfish with completely functional gills is the Australian lungfish, but one of its two lung sacs is also diminished or atrophied.

2. This species might be the tetrapods’ closest living cousin (mammals, amphibians, reptiles, etc). Four limbs, a comparable structure of skull bones, tooth enamel, and a pulmonary system are only a few of the similarities between them. A fish-like progenitor began developing into a tetrapod 400 million years ago, and it most likely looked like the lungfish.

3. Some species go dormant to survive the dry season. This entails burying their carcasses in the river or lake’s bottom and then encasing themselves in mucus. The fish may stay in this state for almost a year since their metabolic rate drops drastically. Although the South American lungfish burrows in the mud, it does not go dormant. Neither approach is used by the Australian lungfish.

4. In the online multiplayer video game Warframe, the mortus lungfish is a fictitious creature. The mortus, on the other hand, is heavily embellished, with a large horn on its head and lavish purple and crimson colours. The cadaver may be found in ponds all around the world.

Lungfish Classification and Scientific Name

Dipnoi is the scientific name for the order, which loosely translates to “two breathing organs.” The ocean-based coelacanth, which was found in 1938, is possibly the creature’s closest living cousin. Both species of fish have remained relatively unchanged since their evolution 400 million years ago.

Various Lungfish Species

There are now six species living on the planet. The four African lungfish species are all in the same genus, although the South American and Australian species are in separate genera.

• Gilled Lungfish: This species, which is blue or grey in colour, resides at the bottom of East African marshes and flood plains.

• West African Lungfish: This species is native to West Africa, as its name implies. It has an eel-like body with long, filament-like fins and an olive brown tint.

• Spotted Lungfish: This species is located in Gabon and the Republic of Congo, and has a long body covered with black spots (which fade with maturity).

• Marbled Lungfish: The marbled lungfish has extraordinarily long, sinewy fins and a leopard-like spot pattern. It is found largely in Eastern and Central Africa.

• South American Lungfish: This species, which lives in marshes and slow-moving waters, is a bit of a mystery. The juvenile has a distinctive pattern (gold dots on a dark backdrop) that fades to a brown or grey tone as it grows older.

• Queensland Lungfish: The most “basic” and unique of all the lungfish, with an olive brown back and yellowish-orange underbelly. For almost 100 million years, the human body has remained nearly unaltered.

Lungfish Appearance

The presence of a sophisticated bone and muscle structure in the fins is the most distinguishing feature of this lobe-fished fish. It’s available in a number of colours, body types, and sizes. The marbled lungfish is the biggest member of this group that is still alive today.

It may grow to be 7 feet long and weigh about 40 pounds, but even a common species can grow to be 4 feet long and weigh up to 22 pounds. Most animals have limited vision (they can barely detect movement), but their great senses of touch, smell, and taste compensate for this.

Mild electric fields can also be detected by organs on the snout. Because of its steady habitat and lack of genuine predators, the lungfish is thought to have altered little over millions of years.

Lungfish Distribution, Population, and Habitat

This fish has a relatively vast and irregular distribution throughout the tropical portions of the world. Four of the six species are found in Africa, while one is found only in Queensland, Australia.

The Western Hemisphere’s only species is found in a tiny section of the Amazon basin near Paraguay. They’ve all been bred to thrive in freshwater lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. This fish was abundant throughout the planet until around 200 million years ago, when its population began to decline.

The majority of today’s species are not in risk of extinction. The four African species are now rated as least concern by the IUCN Red List, whereas only the Queensland lungfish is endangered. Because so little is known about the South American lungfish, it is not classified.

Lungfish Predators and Prey

In its natural freshwater environment, this fish is an apex predator. There isn’t much else that gets large enough to consume it. Worms, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, plants, and even other lungfish make up this creature’s diet.

This animal takes in prey and smashes it with its teeth when it opens its mouth. Some animals may go years without eating, despite the fact that they will eat nearly anything. Although there are no known natural predators for adults, fish and animals may feed on adolescents.

Lungfish Reproduction and Lifespan

The reproductive tactics of this organism differ depending on the location and genus. Both the South American and Queensland lungfishes are distinct from each other and from the African lungfishes. At the conclusion of the winter, the African lungfish spawns at the start of the rainy season.

After approximately a week, the larvae emerge with bright red fan-like external gills to aid breathing before their lungs are fully matured. The male guards his young in his nest until they are ready to be left alone.

The South American lungfish constructs a nest with a single vertical tunnel and a horizontal compartment at the bottom that is much more complicated. During the spawning season, the male, who protects the nest with his life, grows little tufts that leak oxygen into the water to assist the larvae breathe in their first few days before they develop lungs.

The Australian lungfish does not burrow in any way. Rather, it hides the legs within the vegetation. The larvae, like adults, have internal gills that allow them to breathe independently. The lungfish, regardless of species, is a particularly long-lived fish. Some animals are thought to have a lifetime of 100 years.

Granddad, a Queensland lungfish that resided at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, was purchased in 1933 and died in 2017 owing to poor health. During his lifespan, he was viewed by over 100 million people.