Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mudskipper

Mudskippers are actually fish that breathe with gills. Mudskippers belong to the Family Gobiidae. They are commonly seen on many of our shores and are particularly abundant in mangroves and muddy shores.



In water, the mudskipper breathes through gills like other fishes do. However, when on land, it carries around its own "air tanks"; a mixture of air and water in its gill chambers. The blood vessels in the gills absorb the oxygen as the water passes through the gills. When the oxygen is used up, a fresh mouthful of water is gulped in.