ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Next Generation Science Lighthouse Lab – Mudskippers: Fish Out of Water!
When we think about fish, we usually imagine them swimming in water. Some fish live in rivers and lakes, which are freshwater, while others live in the ocean, from the deep sea to warm coral reefs.
But there’s a special kind of fish called the mudskipper that is quite different. These amazing fish spend most of their time out of the water! If you take most fish out of the water, they can’t breathe because their gills need water to get oxygen. Their fins and tails aren’t much help on land either.
Mudskippers have some cool tricks to live on land. They can crawl around using special fins on their bellies. These fins work like suction cups, helping them stick to the mud. They use their front fins to pull themselves forward, and their bodies and tails help them move around too.
To breathe, mudskippers absorb oxygen through their wet skin. They can also gulp air into their mouths, where thin blood vessels close to the surface take in oxygen and send it to their bloodstream.
Mudskippers hang out on mud flats, which are muddy areas that appear when the tide is low. These places give them food and safety. They eat tiny animals like worms, small fish, and crustaceans. The mud flats also have tiny plants that mudskippers like to munch on.
For safety and to lay eggs, mudskippers dig burrows in the mud. These burrows help keep them moist, especially on hot and sunny days when the mud can dry out.
I hope you learned something new about mudskippers today! They are truly fascinating creatures. If you have any ideas for other strange or interesting animals you’d like to learn about, feel free to share them. See you next time!
Mudskipper Movement Challenge: Try to move like a mudskipper! Use your arms to pull yourself forward on a soft surface, like a carpet or grass, just like mudskippers use their front fins. Notice how different it feels compared to walking. Discuss with a friend or family member how mudskippers might feel moving on land compared to swimming in water.
Create a Mudskipper Habitat: Using a shallow tray, create a mini mud flat using mud or wet sand. Add small objects to represent plants and tiny animals. Imagine you are a mudskipper and think about how you would find food and stay safe. What challenges might you face? Share your habitat with your class and explain how a mudskipper would live there.
Observation and Drawing Activity: Find a spot in your garden or local park where you can observe small creatures like worms or insects. Watch how they move and interact with their environment. Draw a picture of your observations and compare it with how a mudskipper moves and lives. What similarities and differences do you notice?
**Sanitized Transcript:**
[Music][Applause][Music] Thank you [Music] Thank you [Music]
The Lighthouse Lab
When we think of fish, we generally think of animals that live in water, some in freshwater like rivers and lakes, and many in the ocean, from the deep sea to warm coral reefs.
But there’s another type of fish that’s a little different: the mudskipper. These unique fish spend most of their time out of water. Take most fish out of the water, and their gills won’t be able to give them the oxygen they need. Their fins, tails, and streamlined bodies wouldn’t be much help at all.
However, mudskippers have a number of adaptations for life on land. These slippery creatures are able to crawl on land using specialized fins on their underside. Their flattened pelvic fins act as suction cups, holding and gripping the fish to the mud. They then use their pectoral fins to pull their bodies forward. Movements of their bodies and tails also help them slither about on land.
Mudskippers get the oxygen they need by absorbing it through their moist skin. They can also take in oxygen by gulping in pockets of air in their mouths. Thin blood vessels close to the surface take in oxygen and pass it to the bloodstream.
Spending time on mud flats also provides mudskippers with food and protection. They feed on tiny animals like worms, fish, and crustaceans. The sun-exposed mud flats also contain tiny plants that form part of the mudskipper’s diet.
For protection and reproduction, mudskippers dig burrows in the mud, which also helps to keep their bodies moist on hot and sunny days when the mud flats are drier than usual.
Well, I hope you’ve learned something new today. I know I have! I’d love to do another video on a weird or strange animal, so if you’ve got any ideas, leave a comment below. See you next time! Thank you [Music]
