Lungfish

fish · evolution · air breathers · ancient

Lungs and gills. Lungfish have both lungs and gills, so they can breathe air like you do and also extract oxygen from water like regular fish. This dual breathing system makes them super adaptable survivors.

Lobed fins rock. Instead of thin, flat fins like most fish, lungfish have thick, lobed fins with bones and muscles inside them. These special fins are very similar to the limbs of early animals that first walked on land.

Walking ancestors. Lungfish are the living fish closest related to tetrapods, which are all four-legged animals including you! Scientists believe the ancestors of all land vertebrates looked a lot like lungfish millions of years ago.

Crushing tooth plates. Lungfish don't have individual teeth like sharks do. Instead, they have hard tooth plates in their mouths that work like a grinding mill to crush the shells of creatures they eat.

Freshwater survivors. Lungfish live only in freshwater rivers and streams, not in the ocean. They are found in Africa, South America, and Australia, and they have survived for over 300 million years without much change.