Evolution’s a crazy thing, but this is perhaps the strangest thing we’ve come across in recent memory.
CNN reports that a fish called the “Climbing Perch” has taken to the land and is actually able to walk between bodies of water – even for as many as six days. They’re thought to be making their way from Papua New Guinea to the shores of Australia. “They’re actually able to pull themselves out of the water hole and move themselves across land into the next water hole,” James Cook University’s Nathan Waltham tells CNN. The fish reportedly absorbs oxygen from the air to sustain itself.
Cool, right? Well, not so much. This fish out of water may be a bit of a problem for other wildlife.
“The climbing perch, or Anabas testudineus, has tended to overpower native species in new environments and can hibernate in the mud of dry creek beds for up to six months,” reports the Telegraph. “It is able to destroy larger creatures by swelling up after being swallowed to block the predator’s throat, thereby choking adversaries or forcing them to starve.”
Researchers are currently monitoring the fish’s progressions and are encouraging fishermen to check their boats for the hangers on. In the meantime, this is some weird Darwinian stuff we have happening here! Take a look for yourself below.
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