Details
Protopterus annectens
The West African lungfish is a freshwater fish able to breathe air with lungs. It can wait out dry seasons in mud and hunts small animals at night.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in rivers, swamps, floodplains, and grassy freshwater of the Afrotropics. It is adapted to waters that may shrink or dry seasonally.
Length 40-100 cm; weight 1 kg-4 kg. The body is elongated with threadlike pectoral and pelvic fins and small scales. A broad mouth suits probing muddy bottoms.
Nocturnal and solitary, it burrows into mud as water falls. A mucus cocoon helps it aestivate while breathing air.
A carnivore, it eats mollusks, crustaceans, insects, and fish. Strong dental plates crush hard prey.
Breeding occurs in the rainy season in a nest or burrow, where the male guards eggs and young. Rising water helps trigger spawning.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
