Do bichirs eat fish?

Where do bichirs live in Africa?

Senegal Bichirs inhabit river margins, marshes, and freshwater lagoons throughout the tropical regions of Africa. Apart from Senegal, you can find these guys in 25 other African countries, including Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

What is a polypterid?

Polypterids are popular subjects of public and large hobby aquaria. They are sometimes called dragon bichir or dragon fin in pet shops for a more appealing name due to their dragon-like appearance. Though predatory, they are otherwise peaceful, preferring to lie on the bottom, and make good tankmates with other species large enough to not be prey.

Where do Bichir fish spawn?

Bichirs apparently spawn in swamps and floodplains during the rainy season, and young fish have external branching gills and are newtlike in appearance. Several species are harvested by humans for food and aquaria.

Are polypterids constant tank dwellers?

Some Polypterids species are constant tank dwellers. Among them are the following: barred bichir (P. delhezi), ornate bichir (P. ornatipinnis), marbled bichir (P. palmas), and senegal bichir or gray bichir (P. senegalus). Since an ancient fish is supposed to look ancient, fishes body looks quite archaic.

Can Polypterus be bred in captivity?

Polypterus has rarely been bred in captivity. The first success was that of Polypterus senegalus by Arnoult in 1964, a species spawned repeatedly since (see Hartl, 1981; Bartsch and Gemballa, 1992; Bartsch et al., 1997 and Schugardt, 1997).

What is the name of the extinct phylum Polypterus?

The extinct species has been named Polypterus faraou in a paper in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society and was found in an area known as Toros-Menalla in western Djourab, Chad. “The articulated skeleton is preserved in three dimensions…”

What was the name of the first polypterid ever found?

The fish, which is a member of the Cladistia’s Polypteridae family, is the first complete fossil polypterid skeleton ever described. The extinct species has been named Polypterus faraou in a paper in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society and was found in an area known as Toros-Menalla in western Djourab, Chad.

Does Polypterus faraou have symmetrical pinnules?

Polypterus faraou has symmetrical pinnules as in Recent Polypterus species and in Erpetoichthys, whereas a different structure of the articular head of the pinnules characterized the fossil genera described by Gayet & Meunier (1996) and Werner & Gayet (1997) (see Introduction ).

Do you have all of the different types of Polypterus?

I personally have most of the currently recognized species except Polypterus ansorgii (though I recently saw one for sale), Polypterus bichir bichir, Polypterus teugelsi, Polypterus sp. ‘Gold Dust’. I also have the ‘Koliba’ variant of Polypterus bichir lapradei. your current recognised list is a lot smaller than mine.

How big is a Polypteridae tank?

Keeping in a tank Scientific name Polypteridae Common Name Bichir fish, dragon fin fish, dinosaur b … Tank size 50 US gallons (200 L) and more Temperament Calm Diet Predator 4 more rows

Can polypterids live in muddy water?

The fish prefers muddy water and silted bottom, it can even live in bogs. The fish navigates in water (which is not transparent) due to its sense of smell, at that it has quite poor sight. Some Polypterids species are constant tank dwellers.

When did the first Polypterus come out in the wild?

Shortly after Arnoult’s success, a second species, Polypterus ornatipinnis, was spawned by Armbrust for the first time (1966 and 1973) and bred subsequently by Azuma in 1986; Wolf, 1992; Bartsch and Britz, 1996. The third species successfully spawned in captivity was Polypterus endlicheri by Azuma in 1995.

How can you tell the difference between male and female Polypterus?

Sexual differences in Polypterus are not immediately obvious, but mature males can be identified by their wider and thicker anal fin. It has also been suggested that they have thicker dorsal spines. Females tend to be larger. There are no clear differences in small juveniles. A number of Polypterus species have been bred in captivity, including P.

What is the name of the fish found inside a rock?

A new species of Polypterus has been found inside a lump of rock. The fish, which is a member of the Cladistia’s Polypteridae family, is the first complete fossil polypterid skeleton ever described.

What kind of fish is Polypterus palmas?

Polypterus palmas. Polypterus palmas, the shortfin or marbled bichir, is a fish in the Polypteridae family found in freshwater environments within a demersal depth range in tropical climates.

What is the maximum length of polypterids?

Maximum length of Polypterids species body is over 100 cm (39 in), but most of them aren’t longer than 25 cm (9.8 in). Average lifespan of the fish is about 10 years and it highly depends on tank conditions. The fish body is covered with diamond shaped flexibly joined scales.

How to keep polypterids in a fish tank?

There should be some air between the cover and tank water surface, otherwise the fish won’t be able to breathe. Here are proper tank water parameters for Polypterids keeping: water acidity pH should be about 7, the fish is not demanding as for the water hardness.

Where do polypterids live?

Modern Polypterids species occur in freshwater basins in Africa and India. The fish prefers muddy water and silted bottom, it can even live in bogs. The fish navigates in water (which is not transparent) due to its sense of smell, at that it has quite poor sight.

How did Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discover the fish?

Museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer discovered the fish among the catch of a local fisherman. Latimer contacted a Rhodes University ichthyologist, J. L. B. Smith, sending him drawings of the fish, and he confirmed the fish’s importance with a famous cable: “Most Important Preserve Skeleton and Gills = Fish Described.”

What is Protopterus aethiopicus (African lungfish)?

A functional analysis of the aquatic and aerial respiratory movements of an African lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus, with reference to the evolution of the lung-ventilation mechanism in vertebrates. J Exp Biol. 1969;51:407–430. [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] 528.

Why is inspiration in Polypterus without buccal pumping?

In the case of Polypterus (bichir), however, elastic recoil of the ganoid scale-covered skin causes negative pressure in the body cavity, resulting in inspiration without buccal pumping ( 75 ).

How can I Save my Polypterus?

Polypterus are hardy and somewhat tolerant of immature aquaria, which is why your fish is wounded rather than dead. But still, you’re imposing on this hardiness, and there’s only one possible eventual outcome: death of the fish. So, here’s what you need to do to save this fish: buy a tank at least 6 times bigger than what you have.