Mudskipper

Is that a fish? Is that a tadpole? No, it is a mudskipper!

I had first watched this animal on one of Jeff Corwin's shows on Animal Planet. I was too excited to see it live by the sea at Kuala Kedah Jetty Point, Malaysia. We were rushing on the walkway towards the ferry to Langkawi that was almost about to leave the port, and did not have time to get down and take a closer look. Time always ticks faster when you need more of it!

A very unique creature - this is a wonderfully adapted amphibian. Its locomotive organs are a pair of pectoral fins that aid both swimming in the water and 'skipping' on the land. Underwater, the mudskippers breathe using their gills, just like a fish. On land, however, they retain water in enlarged gill chambers. These act like a scuba diver's oxygen cylinders, and supply oxygen for respiration while on land. In addition to this, it also is capable of cutaneous breating through its moist skin and lining of its mouth and throat. The eyes are placed on the top of its head, and are retractable into eye sockets. This helps in keeping the eyes moist on land.