Papyrocranus Afer

Papyrocranus Afer

SKU:
31441
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Description

The reticulated knifefish (Papyrocranus afer) is a species of freshwater fish in the family Notopteridae, the featherbacks, found in tropical West Africa. It reaches a maximum length of 80 cm (1.2 meters) and a reported weight of 1.3 kg.

This fish is native to tropical West Africa. It occurs in the Niger basin and other coastal river basins including the Tano River and Pra River basins in Ghana, and the Cross River and Sanaga River basins to the east of the Niger Delta.

Besides breathing in the normal way through its gills, the reticulated knifefish is able to breathe air at the surface of the water. For this purpose the swim bladder acts as a lung; it is an elongated structure that extends for the length of the body cavity and has finger-like side projections. This adaptation allows the fish to live in swamps where the water would otherwise be too low in oxygen content. The swim bladder can also be used to create sounds.