this is a fish that lives primarily on
land
they use water bubbles like a tongue to
catch prey
they shovel mud with their mouths and
they have some seriously epic and floppy
battles
this is one of the most fascinating and
weirdest animals in the world
and one that sheds light on our own
evolution
this is the mud skipper
[Music]
hi i'm danielle dufoe and you're
watching animal logic
let me tell you a true fish out of water
story about a fish
who doesn't particularly like water the
mud skipper
mud skippers are amphibious fish found
extensively from africa to australia for
a while
they were considered to be in the gobi
family and you can see why
they have the same torpedo-shaped body
and wide face
though recent studies have shown that
they're in their own family
some species like the giant mud skipper
can be up to 30 centimeters long
but most species measure about 10
centimeters long
mud skippers live in swamps estuaries
and other intertidal ecosystems
but while most other fish there are
active during high tide
mudskippers dine when the tide is low
also unlike other fish they hunt on land
their entire strategy consists of
walking
or skipping in the mud looking for
insects or other small animals to eat
of course this requires a specialized
breathing system
similar to frogs mud skippers can take
oxygen from the air
through their skin and the soft tissue
in their mouths and throats
this is called cutaneous respiration
the only caveat is that they must be wet
for it to work
they're like reverse gremlins and their
permanent need for moisture
is the only reason they haven't taken
over the world
[Music]
this is why they like mud so much
they need frequent access to water which
they get from the tidal pools formed in
the mud
besides breathing through their skin
they also keep oxygenated water
and air in their gills this is used as a
backup in case they start drying out
walking on land requires a completely
different form of locomotion
thankfully mud skippers have muscular
pectoral fins
for these guys it's waters out guns out
the joint between the radials and the
fin rays is functionally an elbow
the radials also connect to the body at
an articulated joint that is basically
their shoulder
all of this is supported by powerful
muscles that make them
great at push-ups and skipping around
they can move one fin at a time like we
walk
or they can move them forward at the
same time in a move called
crutching some species can even climb
branches and tree trunks
using their concave hip bones as a sort
of sucker for extra grip
being terrestrial hunters they need good
eyesight to find their prey
their eyes have evolved to work better
outside of the water than
in it the eyes sit at the top of the
head
they can move independently and with a
huge range of motion
giving them almost a 360 degree field of
vision
their only problem is that they only
work well when moist
to deal with this problem their eyes can
retract into a water sack beneath their
eyes
this looks like they're blinking but
it's a bit more elaborate than our
version of moistening our eyes
one of the spookiest things a mud
skipper can see
other than a predator is another mud
skipper
they can be cannibalistic hey we never
said they were chillers
in order to intimidate each other
protect their territories
and dissuade sexual rivals they do what
most terrestrial animals do
they yell the only issue is that they
don't have ears
and detect vibrations through their body
instead
so when they yell at each other they
yell in low frequencies which can be
hard for us to hear
but easier for them to pick up through
their bones
when the tide is high they hide in
burrows for their protection
their little fins are great for hopping
around in the mud
but not so great for swimming
in order to build these burrows they use
their mouths as a wheelbarrow
gulping back mud carrying it to the
surface
and spitting it out repeat enough times
and you have yourself a burrow
and a dire need for mouthwash
to protect themselves from predators
they will usually build
in twists and turns which makes it hard
for predators to snatch them out of
their burrows
since the water stuck in their burrows
usually becomes
oxygen deficient within a few hours they
bring in air bubbles in their mouth
as a little backup oxygen tank so smart
their ability to build well-engineered
burrows is crucial to their survival
as it ensures not only their immediate
survival
but also their ability to reproduce
during the mating season males fight
each other
and perform elaborate displays to woo
the females
and these fights are epic floppy
muddy messes
it is a delight to behold males
also change colors becoming brighter and
their throats get very shiny and in some
species
it changes colors too during displays
they push themselves up and show off
their beautiful throats
who doesn't love a good throat this is
called
flagging and it's a good indicator for
health healthier males will have
brighter throats
females will choose their favorite
healthy male and follow them to their
burrow
they lay the eggs and stick them to the
walls of the burrow
and then the male fertilizes them soon
after
that the female leaves and the male is
in charge of protecting the eggs until
they hatch
when they're not in their burrows
they're likely out hunting
though they don't seem like the most
menacing of predators
they have adapted to catch their prey
basically by water bending
atlantic mudskippers carry water in
their big
mouths when they're within range of a
potential prey
they spit some of that water on the prey
and then quickly
suck it back in this is done so quickly
that the prey ends up being sucked into
the mouth
along with the water in effect they have
turned water
into their own version of a sticky
tongue this helps them catch a huge
array of prey
from worms to flies to crickets to crabs
imagine being a crustacean and being
eaten by a fish
out of the water oh how the turn
tables this process of gradually getting
out of the water
is similar to what our latest fish
ancestors did
before becoming fully terrestrial and
becoming tetrapods
like mud skippers they likely lived in
intertidal environments
and gradually became able to spend more
and more time
out of the water
so what should we talk about next please
let me know in the comments and be sure
to subscribe for new episodes every week
thanks for watching see ya
[Music]
yes exactly they all oh my god they
would all make arnold
sounds that's that's my head cannon now
i'm screaming