Atlantic Mudskipper

The Atlantic mudskipper can grow up to 16 cm in length. The body is covered with scales, coated with a mucus layer that helps to retain moisture. The Atlantic mudskippers have more than 90 scales along the side of their body. Atlantic mudskippers also retain moisture by storing water within gill chambers, that allows them to breathe when out of water. Atlantic mudskippers do not have a membrane that covers the gill chambers; instead, they are able to control the opening and closing of the gill chambers. The gill chambers may be controlled through either the muscles around the slits, or through the differences in partial pressures. In addition to retaining moisture by storing water, the surface of the Atlantic mudskipper enables it to breathe through its skin, otherwise known as cutaneous respiration.

Mudskippers have a pair of pectoral fins, which allows them to 'skip' on land and maintain stability within water. The Atlantic mudskipper also has a pair of caudal fins that aid in aquatic locomotion, and pelvic fins that aid the pectoral fins in terrestrial locomotion. The pelvic fins are adapted to terrestrial living by acting as a sucker to attach the Atlantic mudskipper to land. …

Atlantic mudskippers are found throughout West Africa, in mangrove swamps, and primarily brackish bodies of water near the coast. Countries where the mudskipper are found include Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Ghana. The distribution of Atlantic mudskippers within these regions are influenced by the availability of food and shelter. The distribution may also be influenced by the Atlantic mudskipper's hibernation.

The Atlantic mudskipper is carnivorous, and has adopted an ambushing strategy to capture terrestrial prey. While hunting, the Atlantic mudskipper submerges itself underwater whilst leaving its eyes out, using only sight to identify and locate prey. To ambush prey, Atlantic mudskippers launch onto land using predominantly their pectoral fins, and catch the prey using their mouth. When Atlantic mudskippers are in danger from predation on land, they proceed into 'flight' behaviour and either jump in the water or skip away on mud.

The scientific name Periophthalmus barbarus originates from Greek, where peri means 'around', and ophthalmos means 'eye', in reference to the Atlantic mudskipper's close-set eyes that provide it with a larger field of vision. In Greek, barbarus means 'foreign', potentially named after the foreign characteristics it has when compared to other gobies. The generic name 'mudskipper', is labelled after the 'skipping' movement on mudflats.