What's that crawling toward you? A fish, of course.
The climbing perch has an "accessory air-breathing organ" that lets it breathe on dry land for up to six days, according to AOL. The fish can also crawl across land and hide in creek beds.
Scientists have found the fish can tolerate both freshwater and saltwater, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“They can breathe on land, they can walk across land with their gills and they can handle salt,” said Nathan Waltham, an aquatic ecologist to The Sydney Morning Herald.
It is a threat to other fish and even birds because it lodges its strong gill into the throat of those who try to eat them.
Originating in Papua New Guinea, the aggressive climbing perch has migrated to two small Torres Strait islands in Australia, and Australia is concerned about the ecological damage it will do if it migrates to the mainland, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Researchers are testing the fish’s salt and water temperature tolerance so they can try to control its population.
Read the full story at smh.com.au
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