African Lungfish

The African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens) inhabits the freshwater basins of Africa. It is commonly observed in the Comoé and the Bandama rivers. It can be found in some water basins in Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is found in the upper stream of the Congo river and the middle and low stream of the Zambezi river. It reaches up to 1 meter in length and 4 kg. It feeds on fish, amphibians, reptiles and etc. It normally lives on flood plains and when these dry up, during the dry season, it secretes a thin slime around itself which dries into a fragile cocoon. It can exist in this state for over a year, although normally it hibernates only from the end of one wet season to the start of the next. Due to the presence of lungs, the fish can breathe atmospheric oxygen, and by having gills, it can absorb dissolved in water oxygen.