Short-finned Bichir

About

The short-finned bichir (Polypterus palmas) is one of those fish that makes you feel like you're keeping a living fossil. Native to the coastal rivers draining into the Gulf of Guinea, from Guinea Bissau down through Liberia and into Côte d'Ivoire, this species also turns up in the upper Casamance River in Senegal. In the wild it occupies slow, murky freshwater environments where dissolved oxygen can be unreliable, which explains one of its most remarkable traits: it can breathe atmospheric air directly, surfacing periodically to gulp from above the waterline. The body is long, almost serpentine, patterned with irregular mottling that gives it the alternate name marbled bichir. A series of small dorsal finlets runs along the back rather than a single connected fin, and the fleshy, lobe-like pectoral fins are immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the polypterid family. As a committed carnivore it will eat most meaty foods and should not be housed with anything small enough to fit in its mouth. It is generally tolerant of tankmates its own size, though it can be a bit pushy at feeding time. A secure, tight-fitting lid is non-negotiable. These fish are surprisingly capable escape artists.