Sundarban swampland is often described with interesting epithets and one of these is - it is that unique place where roots grow out of the ground and fish climb trees.
Fish climbing trees, a curious phenomenon here, refers to mudksippers.They are amphibious fish, any of the numerous extant species of amphibious fish from the subfamily Oxudercinae of the goby family Oxudercidae.predators.The subfamily Oxudercinae includes 9 out of 10 genera which are found along India's eastern and western coastline.
The burrows they construct provide shelter for other small organisms and also help the mangrove roots receive oxygen.These amphibians can adapt to challenging environments, offering insights into the wonders and complexities of evolutionarly biology.
They survive prolonged periods of time both in and out of water, as they can move on land and feed, then return to water to breed and avoid .Mudskippers bask in the sun during low tides to regulate their body temperature and prevent dehydration.
* Their eyes are situated prominently on top of the head, allowing the mudskipper to note surroundings while largely submerged or when it is in its burrow.
IMudskippers can also move each eye independently, which provides a wide field of vision to detect prey and predators.Eyes are specialised adaptations that enable mudskippers to thrive both in water and on land, navigate, forage and socialise.
As an inteeesting add -on , mudskippers can blink unlike most fish. They achieve this by retracting their eyes into the eye socket, while a membrane called the dermal cup rises to cover them. The blinking mechanism helps keep their eyes moist and clean when on land.
Author: Uddalak Das