Oyapock Cory

About

Found throughout the Oyapock River basin in South America, this armored catfish, Corydoras condiscipulus, occupies a remarkable range of habitats. From tidal-influenced lowland creeks all the way up to headwater streams. Like all members of the family Callichthyidae, it carries bony plates rather than scales across its body, giving it that characteristic tank-like silhouette. One genuinely odd trait worth knowing about: it can breathe atmospheric oxygen by gulping air at the surface, using a highly vascularized section of intestine to extract oxygen from it. In a healthy tank this is perfectly normal behavior, but you do need a few inches of clearance between the waterline and the lid so fish can surface without injuring themselves. Those pectoral-fin spines are another thing to respect. They can pierce skin and may carry mildly toxic secretions, so use a soft net or a container when moving them around. In the wild it shares territory with the very similar C. oiapoquensis, though condiscipulus tends to be slightly larger and more slender-bodied. Keep a group of at least four to six, and you will be rewarded with an active, curious catfish that will occasionally appear to wink at you. They genuinely can tilt their eyes downward to inspect the substrate. With proper care, these fish can live for decades.