Mokele-mbembe Bichir

About

Found in the middle Congo River basin, Polypterus mokelembembe is one of the lesser-known members of a fish lineage so old it predates most modern groups by hundreds of millions of years. Like its relatives, it carries a series of distinctive finlets along its back, thick ganoid scales that function almost like armor, and a pair of primitive lungs that allow it to breathe air directly at the surface. A handy adaptation in the oxygen-poor, slow-moving waters it calls home. It stays on the smaller side for a polypterus, typically reaching somewhere between six and eleven inches as an adult, which makes it manageable without being a pushover. In the aquarium it is a nocturnal animal at heart, spending daylight hours tucked under cover and becoming noticeably more active once the lights go down. Keeping the tank dimly lit or providing plenty of hiding spots goes a long way toward making it comfortable. It is a committed carnivore and will eat anything it can fit in its mouth, so tankmates need to be chosen carefully. Feeding meaty foods like worms, shrimp, or prepared sinking carnivore diets works well. With proper care this is a genuinely long-lived fish, and intermediate-level keepers who appreciate something prehistoric will find it deeply rewarding.