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West African lungfish
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West African lungfish
The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens), also known as the Tana lungfish or simply African lungfish, is a species of African lungfish. It is found in a wide range of freshwater habitats in West and Central Africa, as well as the northern half of Southern Africa.
Protopterus annectens is a member of the lungfish, a group thought to have existed for over 400 million years. This species has various physiological adaptations which allow it to survive periods of drought, making the lungfish resilient in many habitats. P. annectens is known for its eel-like appearance with an anguilliform body. It has pelvic fins that are described as "whip-like" with skeletal elements. It has a prominent snout and small eyes that are known to be partially blind. Although their eyesight is not well-developed, they have sensory structures called lateral lines. These structures allow them to detect water movement. These sensory receptors extend along the snout of the animal, similar to those found in amphibians and other fish.
Its body is about 9–15 times the length of the head. It has two pairs of long, filamentous fins. The pectoral fins have a basal fringe and are about three times the head length, while its pelvic fins are about twice the head length. In general, three external gills are inserted posterior to the gill slits and above the pectoral fins.
It has cycloid scales embedded in the skin. About 40–50 scales occur between the operculum and the anus, and 36–40 around the body before the origin of the dorsal fin. It has 34–37 pairs of ribs. The dorsal side is olive or brown in color and the ventral side is lighter, with great blackish or brownish spots on the body and fins except on its belly. West African lungfish can grow up to 1 meter long (3.3 feet) and weigh up to 4 kilograms (9 pounds).
The West African lungfish also has another subspecies; P. a. brieni, which is found primarily in southern Africa near the Zambezi, Pungwe and Sabi rivers. The West African lungfish is often confused with the South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), which shares similar physical traits, such as paired lungs and burrowing behavior. Despite these similarities, they differ in that the South American lungfish is slimmer and has shorter pelvic fins, whereas P. annectens has longer pelvic fins. It is believed that L. paradoxa and P. annectens diverged during the Cretaceous period, as they share a common phylogeny.
The West African lungfish is historically known as a unique species and an early precursor of fish to tetrapods. Due to its monophyletic clade, Dipnoi, it is the sister group to the tetrapods; this is attributed to its distinctive physiology and inferred data from fossil and taxa records.
P. annectens is unique due to its ability to use its pelvic fin as a "foot" to lift its body off substrate. The lungfish has a range of gaits that include both overlapping and non-overlapping fin contacts, allowing it to have movement patterns that resemble walking. However, this doesn't mean it uses its pelvic fins to walk on land entirely; it is exclusively used to lift itself underwater. Although these animals occasionally travel on land, moving from puddle to puddle to stay moisturized, they do not walk on land in the manner of tetrapods.
The west African lungfish also has the ability to breathe atmospheric air by rising to the water's surface and taking a gulp of air, which it must do every half an hour or so to survive. While they do possess internal gills, their secondary lamellae collapse during estivation leading to total dependence on the lungs for atmospheric respiration. Specifically, the third and fourth gill arches possess filaments and receive venous blood supply. The three paired external gills are epidermal outgrowths with core blood vessels.
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West African lungfish
The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens), also known as the Tana lungfish or simply African lungfish, is a species of African lungfish. It is found in a wide range of freshwater habitats in West and Central Africa, as well as the northern half of Southern Africa.
Protopterus annectens is a member of the lungfish, a group thought to have existed for over 400 million years. This species has various physiological adaptations which allow it to survive periods of drought, making the lungfish resilient in many habitats. P. annectens is known for its eel-like appearance with an anguilliform body. It has pelvic fins that are described as "whip-like" with skeletal elements. It has a prominent snout and small eyes that are known to be partially blind. Although their eyesight is not well-developed, they have sensory structures called lateral lines. These structures allow them to detect water movement. These sensory receptors extend along the snout of the animal, similar to those found in amphibians and other fish.
Its body is about 9–15 times the length of the head. It has two pairs of long, filamentous fins. The pectoral fins have a basal fringe and are about three times the head length, while its pelvic fins are about twice the head length. In general, three external gills are inserted posterior to the gill slits and above the pectoral fins.
It has cycloid scales embedded in the skin. About 40–50 scales occur between the operculum and the anus, and 36–40 around the body before the origin of the dorsal fin. It has 34–37 pairs of ribs. The dorsal side is olive or brown in color and the ventral side is lighter, with great blackish or brownish spots on the body and fins except on its belly. West African lungfish can grow up to 1 meter long (3.3 feet) and weigh up to 4 kilograms (9 pounds).
The West African lungfish also has another subspecies; P. a. brieni, which is found primarily in southern Africa near the Zambezi, Pungwe and Sabi rivers. The West African lungfish is often confused with the South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), which shares similar physical traits, such as paired lungs and burrowing behavior. Despite these similarities, they differ in that the South American lungfish is slimmer and has shorter pelvic fins, whereas P. annectens has longer pelvic fins. It is believed that L. paradoxa and P. annectens diverged during the Cretaceous period, as they share a common phylogeny.
The West African lungfish is historically known as a unique species and an early precursor of fish to tetrapods. Due to its monophyletic clade, Dipnoi, it is the sister group to the tetrapods; this is attributed to its distinctive physiology and inferred data from fossil and taxa records.
P. annectens is unique due to its ability to use its pelvic fin as a "foot" to lift its body off substrate. The lungfish has a range of gaits that include both overlapping and non-overlapping fin contacts, allowing it to have movement patterns that resemble walking. However, this doesn't mean it uses its pelvic fins to walk on land entirely; it is exclusively used to lift itself underwater. Although these animals occasionally travel on land, moving from puddle to puddle to stay moisturized, they do not walk on land in the manner of tetrapods.
The west African lungfish also has the ability to breathe atmospheric air by rising to the water's surface and taking a gulp of air, which it must do every half an hour or so to survive. While they do possess internal gills, their secondary lamellae collapse during estivation leading to total dependence on the lungs for atmospheric respiration. Specifically, the third and fourth gill arches possess filaments and receive venous blood supply. The three paired external gills are epidermal outgrowths with core blood vessels.
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