Read More: What seemed like bad news could take an unexpected turn: fresh water from West Antarctica could help the AMOC better withstand the impact of Greenland’s melting ice and, in some scenarios, even prevent its collapse<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAccording to staff quoted by science outlets, the animals moved in and out of the pond for around twenty minutes, most likely searching for food on land, at a time when recent flooding kept the ground moist and reduced the risk of drying out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Built to leave the water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This eerie scene might feel like something from a science fiction movie, but biologists say it fits what we know about this species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The African sharptooth catfish is one of the most widely-distributed freshwater fish in Africa, in large part because it tolerates many different habitats, from slow rivers to temporary pans. It is omnivorous and opportunistic<\/a>, feeding on invertebrates, smaller fish, plant material and even small mammals when it can find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRead More: A neurologist treated his mother’s dystonia with ultrasound… and suddenly her Alzheimer’s \u201cactivated\u201d after remaining dormant for eight years<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIts secret survival tool is a primitive accessory <\/a>air breathing organ inside the gill chamber. This structure lets the fish gulp air and survive for hours or even days out of water, as long as its skin and gills stay damp. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn dry seasons, researchers have documented sharptooth catfish<\/a> lying packed together in shrinking pools, or leaving the water at night to crawl into new wetlands or search for food along the shore, using powerful pectoral spines and side to side body movements that look surprisingly similar to awkward \u201cwalking\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"African](\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/african-sharptooth-catfish-land-movement-clarias-gariepinus.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
African sharptooth catfish, a hardy freshwater species known for its ability to survive out of water and move across land in search of food or new habitats.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA resilient survivor with an environmental cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The recent South African footage stands out because cameras almost never catch this behavior in the wild, even though field biologists have reported it for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for Africam noted that catfish are more often seen leaving water when ponds are drying, but that current flooding in the area may be giving them a safer chance to explore new ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: Goodbye to Europe’s temperate climate if this happens: the model predicts drops of up to 10-15 \u00b0C in areas of northwestern Europe after the collapse<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThat ability is impressive, yet it comes with a warning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agencies such as the South African National Biodiversity Institute<\/a> and conservation body CapeNature<\/a> describe the African sharptooth catfish as a tough native species that has also become invasive in some regions, where its broad diet and talent for moving between water bodies can put heavy pressure on indigenous fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor people watching from their couch, the sight of a \u201cwalking\u201d fish is a spooky curiosity. For ecologists, it is a reminder that freshwater systems<\/a> are full of hardy survivors quietly adjusting to floods<\/a>,droughts and the canals, dams and farm ponds we build. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe next time a quiet pond looks empty, there may be more going on along the shoreline than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video and accompanying report were published on IFLScience<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What would you think if a group of fish suddenly climbed out of a pond and started crawling over the … <\/p>\n
Read More: A neurologist treated his mother’s dystonia with ultrasound… and suddenly her Alzheimer’s \u201cactivated\u201d after remaining dormant for eight years<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIts secret survival tool is a primitive accessory <\/a>air breathing organ inside the gill chamber. This structure lets the fish gulp air and survive for hours or even days out of water, as long as its skin and gills stay damp. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn dry seasons, researchers have documented sharptooth catfish<\/a> lying packed together in shrinking pools, or leaving the water at night to crawl into new wetlands or search for food along the shore, using powerful pectoral spines and side to side body movements that look surprisingly similar to awkward \u201cwalking\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAfrican sharptooth catfish, a hardy freshwater species known for its ability to survive out of water and move across land in search of food or new habitats.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA resilient survivor with an environmental cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The recent South African footage stands out because cameras almost never catch this behavior in the wild, even though field biologists have reported it for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for Africam noted that catfish are more often seen leaving water when ponds are drying, but that current flooding in the area may be giving them a safer chance to explore new ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: Goodbye to Europe’s temperate climate if this happens: the model predicts drops of up to 10-15 \u00b0C in areas of northwestern Europe after the collapse<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThat ability is impressive, yet it comes with a warning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agencies such as the South African National Biodiversity Institute<\/a> and conservation body CapeNature<\/a> describe the African sharptooth catfish as a tough native species that has also become invasive in some regions, where its broad diet and talent for moving between water bodies can put heavy pressure on indigenous fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor people watching from their couch, the sight of a \u201cwalking\u201d fish is a spooky curiosity. For ecologists, it is a reminder that freshwater systems<\/a> are full of hardy survivors quietly adjusting to floods<\/a>,droughts and the canals, dams and farm ponds we build. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe next time a quiet pond looks empty, there may be more going on along the shoreline than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video and accompanying report were published on IFLScience<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What would you think if a group of fish suddenly climbed out of a pond and started crawling over the … <\/p>\n
In dry seasons, researchers have documented sharptooth catfish<\/a> lying packed together in shrinking pools, or leaving the water at night to crawl into new wetlands or search for food along the shore, using powerful pectoral spines and side to side body movements that look surprisingly similar to awkward \u201cwalking\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent South African footage stands out because cameras almost never catch this behavior in the wild, even though field biologists have reported it for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A spokesperson for Africam noted that catfish are more often seen leaving water when ponds are drying, but that current flooding in the area may be giving them a safer chance to explore new ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That ability is impressive, yet it comes with a warning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Agencies such as the South African National Biodiversity Institute<\/a> and conservation body CapeNature<\/a> describe the African sharptooth catfish as a tough native species that has also become invasive in some regions, where its broad diet and talent for moving between water bodies can put heavy pressure on indigenous fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For people watching from their couch, the sight of a \u201cwalking\u201d fish is a spooky curiosity. For ecologists, it is a reminder that freshwater systems<\/a> are full of hardy survivors quietly adjusting to floods<\/a>,droughts and the canals, dams and farm ponds we build. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The next time a quiet pond looks empty, there may be more going on along the shoreline than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The video and accompanying report were published on IFLScience<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What would you think if a group of fish suddenly climbed out of a pond and started crawling over the … <\/p>\nA resilient survivor with an environmental cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: Goodbye to Europe’s temperate climate if this happens: the model predicts drops of up to 10-15 \u00b0C in areas of northwestern Europe after the collapse<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n