Senegal Bichir

About

Lurking in the shallows of African floodplains and river basins, Polypterus senegalus meridionalis is a subspecies of the Senegal bichir and one of the most ancient-looking fish available to freshwater hobbyists. Bichirs belong to a lineage that stretches back hundreds of millions of years, and this fish wears that heritage openly. A long, serpentine body armored in thick, interlocking scales, a row of distinctive finlets running down the back in place of a conventional dorsal fin, and a pair of fleshy, almost limb-like pectoral fins it uses to drag itself across the substrate. It breathes atmospheric air using a primitive lung, so you will regularly see it surfacing at night or whenever oxygen levels drop. In the aquarium it tends to be a deliberate, slow-moving predator that ignores fish too large to swallow but will make short work of anything that fits in its mouth. Tankmates need to be chosen carefully with that in mind. It is generally tolerant of its own kind and other robust species. Care is straightforward enough for an intermediate keeper who can commit to a spacious, well-covered tank, bichirs are surprisingly capable escape artists, and a diet of meaty foods like earthworms, prawns, and quality carnivore pellets.