Lungfish

Through Rwanda, Uganda, western Tanzania and northern Zambia.

it's most numerous in the west nile sub-region which apparently is like the toppish part of uganda and south sudan uh the distribution of the species seems to largely coincide with that of papyrus the plant and lungfish which is one of the main things that they eat um Lungfish are, they kind of look like a fish mixed with an eel, kind of.

They look, yeah, they look slimy.

They are often found in areas of floodplain.

They are noted for their tetrapod-like jaws, ganoid scales, possession of paired lungs, and ability to breathe air, though they also possess gills.

And finally, their ancestral appearance that is especially pronounced in the dinosaur bitchers, or dragonfish, that more closely resemble the lungfish of class Dipnoi than any other ray-finned fish.

Another well-known member is the ropefish, characterized by its brownish coloration, elongated body, and the presence of small finlets along its dorsal and anal fins.

Actinopteryii, meanwhile, includes all other extant ray-finned species and splits again in the early Carboniferous to give the sister clades Neopterygii, which includes the vast majority of the ray-fins, and Chondrostii, which includes a great deal of extinct species and a single extant order, Acipenseriformes, which includes the sturgeons and paddlefish.

Now let's take a look at its sister clade, Sarcopterygii, the lobe-finned fish.

Extant lobe-finned fish are split into three clades, Actinystia, Dipnoi, and Tetrapoda.

Let's start by going over Actinystia.

There are only two extant members of subclass Actinystia, and they are both commonly known as coelacanths.

They are known for their distinctive appearance, which includes four fleshy limb-like fins and a long tapered tail.

They are estimated to live up to one hundred years based on analysis of annual growth marks on scales and are estimated to reach sexual maturity around the age of fifty-five.

Subclass Dipnoi contains the lungfish.

There are only six extant species of lungfish divided into three genera, Lepidosiren, Protopterus, and Neoceratodus.

Shoebills feed on fish and other wetland animals, taking what the shallow waters make available in a particular season.

Lungfish are often associated with their feeding grounds because these air-breathing fish live well in warm, plant-rich water.

Catfish can also tolerate conditions that challenge many other species, and their movements near the surface may draw the bird's attention.

Each creature follows its own need, while the shoebill waits at the meeting point of hunger, habitat, and chance.

Below the fading brightness, channels still carry the day's warmth between islands.

Fish may remain active in these sheltered waters, sensing one another through vibrations, scent, and subtle changes in pressure.

Lungfish, rising for air, disturb the surface with a brief opening and closure, a sound easily lost among frogs and insects.

A shoebill nearby might recognize it while light remains sufficient.