In the previous blog entry, I mentioned that salamanders fall under the same group as mudskippers i.e. they are both amphibians and some of you asked "what is a mudskipper?"
Mudskippers are a type of fish found in mangroves and they can be found in Singapore. The special thing about them is they spend most of their time OUT of water. To do this, they hold water in their gill chamber and their mouth and replace the water with fresh water when it becomes deoxygenated. By staying slightly wet (damp) they can also breathe through skin.
Their lower fins act like legs and help them to move on shore. Some of the species can even climb trees!
On a more personal note, I recall a close encounter I had with mudskippers.
Many years back, my family and I travelled to a small town in Malaysia and stayed in a house on silts. During low tides, you would be able to see the muddy river bed from the house and we decided to fish for some mudskippers. I managed to catch one but was totally horrified when the big creature decided to swish its tail and splatted mud all over me!
A mudskipper similar to what I had caught.
I never dared to fish there again.
But we still get to see mudskippers in certain parts of Singapore, like the mangroves in Pasir Ris, Sungei Buloh and Puala Ubin! Try to spot them if you get to go to any of these spots during the upcoming school holidays. :)
Ms Tor
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