Mangrove Killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus

The Mangrove Killifish lives in brackish waters of coastal mangrove swamps in the Caribbean, Florida, Central America and northern South America. It is an amazingly versatile true survivor.

Only 2.5cm (1 inch) long, they can survive water twice as salty as the sea, freshwater, hot water at 38 deg. C and, when the water dries up seasonally, they can live up to 2 months out of the water breathing air through their skin. When out of the water, they seek out crab burrows and, lying on their side, jump on insect prey.

They are also the only vertebrates that can be both male and female at the same time, fertilising their own eggs.