Periophthalmus barbarus
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Actinopterygill |
| Order | Gobiiformes |
| Family | Oxudercidae |
| Genus | Periophthalmus |
| Species | Periophthalmus barbarus |
What is the Atlantic Mudskipper?
The Atlantic Mudskipper is a ray-finned Teleost with unique traits such as air breathing and terrestrial movement . They dig burrows in the ground which could reach at least a meter deep before heading out to hunt or mate.
Where to Find the Atlantic Mudskipper
Atlantic Mudskippers can be found across the tropical west coast of Africa and the volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea . Their marine habitat extends from the Indian oceans to the West Pacific oceans. The natural habitat includes muddy areas like swamps and mangroves, preferring a hot and humid environment and brackish waters though they are able to survive a wide variety of environmental factors like salinity (0-40ppt) and temperatures (14-35˚C). They even have the ability to excrete ammonia from their gills even at a high PH, making them resistance to pollutants as well.
In the Water the Atlantic Mudskippers are benthic organisms that live in self created burrows underground reaching 1.5 meters in depth. Though they spend most of their time on land.
How are The Atlantic Mudskippers doing: (Population/Conservation Status)
Because of their high tolerances to many environmental factors and pollutants they have been classified as:
However they are also strong indicators of the status of their current environment pollutants can cause abnormal growth rates and develop among the mudskipper population.
For example the barred muskipper have less diverse and smaller size ranges in polluted mangrove areas, as well as malformed eyes.
