Poll's Bichir

P. polli is an “upper-jaw” bichir, meaning its maxilla protrudes further out than its mandible. It has a maximum recorded length of 12.6 inches (32.1 cm). It can be distinguished from other bichirs by its dull gold body color, greenish-yellow fins, and reticulated body pattern with light-colored “polka-dots” toward the base of the tail. It is oftentimes mistaken for P. palmas in the aquarium trade because they were once considered conspecific and have a similar color pattern, but P. polli lacks the dark transverse barring and speckled look characteristic of both P. palmas morphs. It can also be distinguished by its count of 5-7 dorsal finlets. Bichirs are stabilomorphic fishes that diverged from other ray-finned fishes possibly as early as the Devonian period. As such, P. palmas can be considered a living fossil, and exhibits many "primitive" traits when compared to other extant fishes. This species has true lungs in addition to gills, and uses a blowhole-like organ called a spiracle to take breaths of atmospheric oxygen (a trait it shares with stem-tetrapods). This allows P. palmas to survive poorly oxygenated water conditions—such as in dried-out seasonal pools—or even entirely on land indefinitely provided that their spiracles and gills remain damp. …