This fish amazes Chinese netizens, but in reality, it is quite familiar in many Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam.
Recently, on the social media platform Weibo, a resident from Fujian, China, posted a clip of a fish jumping on the muddy ground with remarkable agility. The clip’s owner shared: “The entire stream is filled with this type of fish. I caught a few and put them in a spring-loaded cage, and just a moment later, I saw them climbing out and jumping onto my legs, which scared me to death!”
This scene surprised many Chinese netizens, with everyone thinking that “fish on land” is a rare occurrence.
However, upon watching the clip, many professional anglers quickly recognized that this is the climbing perch (scientific name: Anabas testudineus), a species well-known in many Southeast Asian countries. In English, the climbing perch is referred to as “climbing perch” due to its characteristic ability to “climb onto land.”
Climbing perch often jumps onto land after heavy rain. (Photo: PR Image)
In many rural areas of Vietnam, people can easily catch climbing perch when they jump onto land after heavy rains. This behavior is believed to be part of the climbing perch’s instinct to reproduce, as they seek deeper waters to lay their eggs. They prefer to spawn during the rainy season because this time sees an abundance of aquatic plants and algae, providing ample food for both parent fish and fry.
So how can this fish survive even when out of water?
According to the environmental and aquaculture consulting site Fishbio, the climbing perch has a miraculous ability to survive when leaving the water thanks to a special accessory respiratory organ located just above the gills.
This complex organ consists of numerous blood vessels coiled into folds to maximize surface area, allowing the fish to retain the oxygen it has absorbed while still underwater.
Additionally, the climbing perch has hard belly fins and several sharp spines that help them move in a jerky manner when on land (in moist conditions).
The climbing perch can survive on land thanks to a special accessory respiratory organ. (Photo: Sohu)
Climbing perch in Vietnam and neighboring countries like Thailand and Laos are considered a popular, delicious, and nutritious food source. They can be prepared in various dishes such as crispy fried climbing perch or climbing perch soup with mustard greens, but the preparation process can be relatively complicated due to the extremely sharp fins of the climbing perch.
