What is a mudskipper you might ask? It is funny looking amphibious fish, that inhabit the mangroves of the Pacific Islands.
Mudskippers have fins and a tail like a fish but can breathe out of the water. They have gills which can hold a bubble of oxygen in, allowing them to “breathe” air and underwater; but they can only do this if their gills stay wet. They can also maneuver on land by using their fins and tail to hop or skip across the land, giving it it’s name. They are quite speedy in these movements, so quick that little research has been done on them because they are extremely hard to catch.
Unlike most of the mangroves inhabitants, these little guys spend their entire lives in the mangroves. They are one of the only true natives of the of the mangrove, appropriately so. The mangrove is a half-marine, half-forest ecosystem which mirrors the mudskippers’ lifestyle. While they live on both land and in water, they hunt almost exclusively on land feasting on insects, small crustaceans, and worms.
Mudskippers in Yap build Y-shaped burrows in the marine inter tidal soil in the mangroves. But because water doesn’t get in these burrows, they can become oxygen deficient. The mudskippers then gulp oxygen and exhale them in the burrows to create a pocket of air. They create these burrows with their mouths, taking a mouthful of mud and spitting it out at the edge of its territory, creating a wall barrier for their home.
Another interesting characteristic of the mudskipper is its eyes, sitting on top of the mudskipper’s head, not on each side like a fish. Each eye works independent of each other, similar to a chameleon allowing them to see above and below the water at the same time. The upper part of the eyes can only see black and white utilizing the rods, surveying for predators. While the bottom part of the eye is equipped with cones which allow them to see color.
I think the most fascinating thing about the mudskipper is when it comes to the mudskipper’s mating season. In order to impress the females, the males will do push-ups with their fins. The males will also leap into the air and if the female is impressed she will follow him back to his burrow.
Queens University of Charlotte - Yap 2013 
These mudskippers are something I am looking forward to seeing on Yap! They are so interesting and are a slap to the face of evolution! 🙂 They seem so small and I’m amused by their eyes and how they stick out. These little guys seem quite cute and I wish males would do push-ups for mates as humans! 😉 These animals have been around for so long which just brings that much more mystery and expectation to the island of Yap. It’s an unknown area with even more unknown creatures inhabiting it! I can’t wait to explore them.