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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about mudskippers. Don’t skip over that subscribe button, there’s lots to learn here! Most of the time fish are born in the water and live their lives completely separated from the land, but, as we’ve previously discussed on this show, some fish defy these norms. Mudskippers may be one of the best examples of a fish out of water. There are just under 50 species of these fish as of this recording, and they cover a wide area of the globe- spanning from the west coast of Africa around throughout many parts of Asia and even appearing on the northern shores of Australia. Mudskippers mostly prefer tropical or subtropical climates and they can be found hanging out in brackish water mangrove swamps and mudflats. A mudflat is an area of land that’s left uncovered during low tides and is the perfect place for a mudskipper.

While able to breath out of water, mudskippers still require moisture to respirate. They still have gills that need to stay wet, though they can also breathe through their skin. Before leaving the water, they trap water inside their gill sacs so they can traverse the land. Mudskipper is an at name for these fish because they don’t walk like most terrestrial animals. When a human walks, her legs alternate, but mudskipper fins don’t alternate; so instead, they hop along the ground- though they can also fling themselves into the air to cover more ground if needed.

This flinging isn’t an uncommon sight during mating season. While not all mudskipper species mating habitats have been observed, it has been noted that some males put on dazzling displays. They may even undergo color changes to appear even more showy. Males may flip themselves about, stand up their dorsal fins, and even momentarily stand on their tails to get a girl’s attention. When she does accept, they enter his den, and what happens in there is still largely understudied.

Mudskippers build their dens by gathering mud in their mouths and transporting it elsewhere. These are maintained even outside of the breeding season because they are an excellent escape route from predators which can include shorebirds and watersnakes. During breeding season, inside the den there is a air cavity in which the eggs are placed. After mating, the male will drive the female out and take over rearing responsibilities. In order to replenish the air in the egg chamber, he’ll gulp air from outside and release it in the the chamber. I’m sure all of us have done something similar to this with a cup a bathtub. He’ll do this until the eggs are fully developed, at which point he’ll remove the air from the chamber and the eggs will hatch upon contacting the water. The babies will be planktonic and drift out to the ocean on the tides until they’ve grown enough to start their own lives on land. During this time they may act as food for many plankton eating species.

When they do get their land legs, mudskippers are even able to climb atop rocks and roots in search of food. They’ll eat spiders, crabs, other arthropods, worms, and algae. At full size, they may be just over half a foot in length, though this can largely depend on the species. How long they can survive in the wild is still unknown as of this recording, but hopefully new data will bring this to light in the future.

For more facts on mudskippers, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.