Saddled Bichir

Believed to be the missing link

In tropical rivers and swampy areas of sub-Saharan Africa, lives a strange fish with meaty fins and underbite. The fish is called saddled bichir and belongs to an ancient group of fish called bichirs or Polypteridae in Latin. Along its back, the bichir has a long row of dorsal fins, which almost look like spines, or the upright plates of a stegosaurus! 

In the early 1800s, bichirs were discovered by scientists, who at first could not determine whether what they were seeing was a fish or an amphibian. It was also thought that they might have found the animal that was the link between fish and the amphibians that once made their way onto land – since the fleshy fins of the bichir can almost be likened to legs to move around on the ground with. 

After much research, many theories, and several life-threatening expeditions, the bichirs were finally placed in a group of species with no direct origin from the animals that once made their way onto land. But the anatomy of the bichir can still be studied – to give us a better understanding of the movement pattern of the fish that crossed over. 

Can breathe both air and water

Like other species of bichir, the saddled bichir can breathe both air and water. As long as the saddled bichir is kept moist, it can actually live a whole life above the surface of the water. Exciting experiments have been carried out with bichirs, where it can be seen that individual specimens allowed to live on land, over time learn to move in a way that is much more efficient than the individual specimens that grow up in water. 

Poor eyesight but a fine sense of smell

At night, the saddled bichir is most active – but that does not mean it moves very much. The saddled bichir hunts by sneaking up on or waiting for its prey. Therefore, it spends much of its time lying still. The fish’s eyesight is very poor, and instead it relies on its sense of smell to hunt. The saddled bichir’s mouth is large, and it can eat just about anything that fits in it.