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Mudskippers are fish of the subfamily Oxudercinae (tribe Periophthalmini), within the family Gobiidae (gobies). The subfamily includes about 41 species. They are completely amphibious fish that can use their pectoral fins to walk on land.〔 Being amphibious, they are uniquely adapted to intertidal habitats, unlike most fish in such habitats which survive the retreat of the tide by hiding under wet seaweed or in tidal pools. Mudskippers are quite active when out of water, feeding and interacting with one another, for example, to defend their territories. They are found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions, including the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic coast of Africa. ==Adaptations== Compared with fully aquatic gobies, these fish present a range of peculiar behavioural and physiological adaptations to an amphibious lifestyle. Anatomical and behavioural adaptations that allow them to move effectively on land as well as in the water: As their name implies, these fish use their fins to move around in a series of skips. They can also flip their muscular bodies to catapult themselves up to 2 ft (60 cm) into the air. Mudskippers have the ability to breathe through their skin and the lining of their mouth (the mucosa) and throat (the pharynx): This is only possible when the mudskippers are wet, limiting them to humid habitats and requiring they keep themselves moist. This mode of breathing, similar to that employed by amphibians, is known as cutaneous air breathing.〔 Another important adaptation that aids breathing while out of water is their enlarged gill chambers, where they retain a bubble of water. These chambers close tightly when the fish is above water, keeping the gills moist, and allowing them to function. They act like a scuba diver's cylinders, and supply oxygen for respiration also while on land.〔 Digging deep burrows in soft sediments allow the fish to thermoregulate, avoid marine predators during the high tide when the fish and burrow are submerged, and lay their eggs. Even when its burrow is submerged, a mudskipper maintains an air pocket inside it, which allows it to breathe in conditions of very low oxygen concentration. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「mudskipper」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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