Rock-climbing fish can shimmy up a 50-foot waterfall
7 hours ago
- #waterfall migration
- #fish climbing
- #African biodiversity
- Researchers documented the shellear fish (Parakneria thysi) climbing a 50-foot waterfall in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking the first formal record of such behavior in Africa.
- The fish, about the size of a fat french fry, use their pelvic fins for support and pectoral fins with tiny hooks to grip rocks, while performing lateral undulations to ascend vertically.
- Only smaller fish (a couple inches long or less) can make the climb, as larger ones become too heavy; they climb in the splash zone, avoiding the strongest current.
- The ascent takes nearly ten hours, with frequent rest periods, and some fish fall and restart; the migration may connect upstream and downstream populations.
- This vertical migration has conservation implications, as damming or diverting water could harm the species, and migratory fish are at higher risk of endangerment.