Polypterus senegalus
species of fish
Polypterus senegalus, commonly known as the Senegal bichir, gray bichir or Cuvier's bichir, is an African species of ray-finned fish in the bichir family, Polypteridae. It is a typical example of polypterid fishes, as most of its defining physical features are common across the genus, such as its ancient, lungfish- or arowana-like appearance, the ability to breathe atmospheric oxygen, and its armor-like scales. These factors have influenced the species' popularity in captivity, and it is commonly kept by aquarists and other hobbyists.
P. senegalus is sometimes, confusingly, called the "dinosaur eel" or "dragon fish", among other misnomers; however, the bichir is not an eel, nor is it a reptile or dinosaur.
Appearance
Polypterus senegalus is an elongated fish, usually grey or beige in color, though sometimes displaying shades of white, pink or blueish; albino individuals also occur. Its body is covered in rhomboid-shaped, multilayered scales, with very subtle patterns and occasional darker blotches or dots. At the nose, the face is smooth and rounded, with larger scales than the rest of the fish. External nostrils protrude from the front. Eyes are on either side of the head, and they are usually pale yellow with a black pupil. P. senegalus has poor eyesight, and relies largely on sense of smell and subtle movements when detecting prey.
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This entry incorporates text from “Polypterus senegalus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.