Tree climbing fish (Mudfish or squishy fish) with scientific name is Periophthalmus variabilis, belongs to the white goby family, is an amphibian, similar in shape to the star goby, but with rough skin and large bulging eyes. on the top of the head.

Tree climbing fish are found mainly in estuaries and tropical coastal areas such as India, Australia or Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam… There are 32 species of fish in total. dwarves live on Earth.

In Vietnam, climbing fish occurs a lot in the coastal areas of mangrove swamps such as Can Gio, Nhon Trach, Go Cong, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and the northern waters of Ninh Binh.

The World Creatures organization considers the tree climbing fish to be one of the six “weirdest” animals on the planet. They can live in the water, in the mud or run around on land, even climbing trees when looking for food. Each adult is 10-15 cm long, about the size of a finger.

Mudfish live along the marshes at estuaries, muddy beaches, with a submerged depth of no more than 2m. Mosquitoes usually burrow under the mud 20-30 cm deep to reside, each cave has several fish. When the tide goes out, they will come out of their burrows to feed.

A team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh observed this fish for a month in its natural habitat in the Mang Khang area, Central Java, Indonesia.

Through research, they discovered a completely new method of locomotion in fish, using the body to propel forward as it glides through the water. While doing this, the fish reached speeds of about 1.7m/s.

During the study, the team filmed the fish leaving the shore to jump across the water, darting across the water, and jumping from the water to the shore.

According to the analysis of each frame, the mudskipper can jump out of the water thanks to the very fast zig zag movement from the fish’s tail. The fish’s tail is used almost like a propeller, helping the mudskipper to propel itself up and out of the water.

When the fish landed again, it immediately began thrashing its tail so it wouldn’t sink below the surface of the water, and then once again it pushed itself up into the air.

The researchers spent time observing several different species of mudskippers, and P. variabilis was the only species that both climbed trees and jumped on the water. This could also be their way of escaping. Mudfish also have the ability to make sharp turns to change direction while jumping, revealing how they navigate through observation.

Next, the team plans to analyze the mudskipper’s skin and compare it to fish that can’t climb trees or jump on the water.