African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)

Protopterus

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens) — Sub-Saharan Africa

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Sarcopterygii

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Sub-Saharan Africa

DIET

Carnivorous

HABITAT

Freshwater rivers, swamps, floodplains

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Sarcopterygii

ORDER

Dipnoi

FAMILY

Protopteridae

GENUS

Protopterus

📋 Description

SIZE

1-2 m, 1-10 kg

COLORATION

Brown to grey; eel-like body

ADAPTATIONS

Lungs for air breathing; survives drought in mud

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Freshwater rivers, swamps, floodplains

DIET

Carnivorous

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Sub-Saharan Africa

REPRODUCTION

Eggs in nests; guarded by males

DIET DETAILS

Fish, insects, crustaceans

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Habitat loss, overfishing

💡 Interesting Facts

1

Mud Cocoons: During droughts, lungfish encase themselves in mud cocoons, breathing air through a small tube for up to a year until rains revive them, a survival tactic from prehistoric times. This makes them living fossils, unchanged for 400 million years.

2

Dual Breathers: With both gills and lungs, they switch between water and air breathing, gulping oxygen at the surface when rivers stagnate, a rare flexibility among fish. This adaptation links them to the ancestors of land vertebrates.