Have you ever wondered what people mean when they say that someone looks 'like a fish out of water"?
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Mudskippers are odd critters. They are amphibious fish; or a fish and a frog all rolled into one. They need to stay moist, limiting housing choices to damp squishy places like mudflats, mangroves and intertidal pools.
Mudskippers move about on land, breathing through their skin and the lining of their mouth and throat as frogs do. They also have gills like a fish with chambers big enough to store large air bubbles. A mudskipper can close its gill chambers tightly, keeping them moist enough to work in the open air.
A mudskippers large mouth is a particularly useful tool. Not only does it give them a jawline that is the envy of any Hollywood superstar, it's waved at rivals to intimidate them and is also an adequate shovel. Mudskippers dig burrows to lay eggs and shelter in. We don't know a great deal about mudskipper funky business but males often perform high jumps, a move that is perhaps enticing to passing ladies.
Females lay eggs in a burrow and males guard them zealously, keeping the nursery full of oxygen by gulping mouthfuls of air and spitting it out into the underground chamber. This level of parental care is quite hard work so it's lucky that mudskipper babies are ready to face the outside world in about a week.
Mudskippers use strong, jointed pectoral fins that stick out from their lower flanks like oars with shoulders. They move these like crutches, using them to pull their body forward. A mudskippers blobby appearance is deceptive; they can jump and are able to climb rocks and trees.
Mudskippers protruding eyes move independently of each other, meaning that they can hunt for worms and bugs below the water while keeping a wary eye out for predators stooping down from above them.
Not all super heroes have mighty mouths but the magical mudskipper fits perfectly into its own damp little world. Perhaps being a fish out of water isn't as bad as it's made out to be.
Next time you visit the beach at Lee Point in Darwin, spend an extra half hour or so wandering out along the rock shelves. You will find tide times for NT waters at www.bom.gov.au . Always know before you go!