Native fish spotted swimming across desert highway after flooding rains
April 5, 2024 7:34 PM Subscribe
Native fish spotted swimming across remote desert highway after flooding rains. An Alice Springs photographer thought moving objects on a flooded outback highway were frogs, until he captured a spectacular video of fish crossing the road.
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory curator of fishes Michael Hammer said the species was one of Australia's most common fish, the spangled perch.
"It lives pretty much across northern Australia in tiny little desert waterholes," he said.
"When it starts raining, they move out to find new habitats and refuge holes.
"They get spotted on road crossings just very occasionally."
The species belongs to the grunter family and characteristically has a single dorsal fin with small spikes, a big mouth and orange spots on the body.
"There are a number of the fish in that family that do make a grunting noise when they're pulled out of the water," Dr Hammer said.
"The spangled perch does do it occasionally, but it's not one of the more obvious ones.
"So it's lost the grunter name and just became a perch."
Dr Hammer said the perch did not grow much bigger than 15 centimetres and could survive in extremely challenging environments.
"It's a really harsh existence across those dry periods," he said.
"They have really good tolerance for heat, salt, low oxygen and crowding."
He said once they were flushed out by excessive rain, the fish could travel tens of kilometres in a single rain event and survive on anything they could catch to eat.
"[They eat] little shrimps, fish, bugs, probably insects as well and whatever is in the water at the time. They're very opportunistic," he said.
Dr Hammer said the fish could sense when rain was imminent.
"They know the rain is coming. So the body condition will be getting better," he said.
"They pre-spawn as they're moving or just after they've moved, then spread their juveniles around to find new habitats as well.
"As soon as there's enough food and water ... they get into breeding condition."
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory curator of fishes Michael Hammer said the species was one of Australia's most common fish, the spangled perch.
"It lives pretty much across northern Australia in tiny little desert waterholes," he said.
"When it starts raining, they move out to find new habitats and refuge holes.
"They get spotted on road crossings just very occasionally."
The species belongs to the grunter family and characteristically has a single dorsal fin with small spikes, a big mouth and orange spots on the body.
"There are a number of the fish in that family that do make a grunting noise when they're pulled out of the water," Dr Hammer said.
"The spangled perch does do it occasionally, but it's not one of the more obvious ones.
"So it's lost the grunter name and just became a perch."
Dr Hammer said the perch did not grow much bigger than 15 centimetres and could survive in extremely challenging environments.
"It's a really harsh existence across those dry periods," he said.
"They have really good tolerance for heat, salt, low oxygen and crowding."
He said once they were flushed out by excessive rain, the fish could travel tens of kilometres in a single rain event and survive on anything they could catch to eat.
"[They eat] little shrimps, fish, bugs, probably insects as well and whatever is in the water at the time. They're very opportunistic," he said.
Dr Hammer said the fish could sense when rain was imminent.
"They know the rain is coming. So the body condition will be getting better," he said.
"They pre-spawn as they're moving or just after they've moved, then spread their juveniles around to find new habitats as well.
"As soon as there's enough food and water ... they get into breeding condition."
Ok, we know why the fish crossed the road, now we just got to figure out why the chicken did it.
posted by vrakatar at 8:36 PM on April 5 [6 favorites]
posted by vrakatar at 8:36 PM on April 5 [6 favorites]
Presumably the chicken was “in breeding condition”.
posted by nat at 8:37 PM on April 5 [4 favorites]
posted by nat at 8:37 PM on April 5 [4 favorites]
A photographer out on a mission
Was stopped by a flood he saw fish in
The landgoing perch
Were off on a search
Buff fishes in breeding condition
posted by MrVisible at 9:38 PM on April 5 [8 favorites]
Was stopped by a flood he saw fish in
The landgoing perch
Were off on a search
Buff fishes in breeding condition
posted by MrVisible at 9:38 PM on April 5 [8 favorites]
On a dark desert highway, cool water in my fins
The night was long, while I sought a billabong
..
posted by unearthed at 10:40 PM on April 5 [4 favorites]
The night was long, while I sought a billabong
..
posted by unearthed at 10:40 PM on April 5 [4 favorites]
Previously: The Inky Depths #5: Fish That Walk!
Also previously, from my reference to the ever prescient The Onion article: Dolphins Evolve Opposable Thumbs
posted by fuse theorem at 6:34 AM on April 6
Also previously, from my reference to the ever prescient The Onion article: Dolphins Evolve Opposable Thumbs
posted by fuse theorem at 6:34 AM on April 6
"An Alice Springs family returning from an east coast holiday has been surprised to see fish swimming across a flooded highway... Oliver Eclipse said their trip from just before Easter had been delayed...."
Oliver... Eclipse....
Coincidence?
posted by TrishaU at 9:52 AM on April 6
Oliver... Eclipse....
Coincidence?
posted by TrishaU at 9:52 AM on April 6
Now I see I missed my true vocation because I never knew it existed.... "curator of fishes!"
posted by spitbull at 4:09 AM on April 7 [1 favorite]
posted by spitbull at 4:09 AM on April 7 [1 favorite]
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#relatable
posted by AlSweigart at 8:01 PM on April 5 [5 favorites]