Aba Aba Knifefish Gymnarchus niloticus

The Aba Aba, also called Giant African Knifefish, is native to rivers and lakes of subSaharan West Africa through to Sudan and the Nile.

The only fish in its genus, it is in the bony-tongued order, related more to the Mormyrid elephant fishes than to other African knifefish in the Xenomystus and Papyrocranus genera. Knifefish are named after their shape and the long anal fin covering usually most of their underside like a blade, but for the Aba aba the ribbonlike blade is its dorsal fin.

A large fish, it can grow to just over one and a half metres long (5 feet) long. It has a weak electric field for navigation and for recognising other Abas and prey (bottom-dwelling aquatic invertebrates, fish and amphibians). In parts of West Africa they are classed as endangered through habitat destruction, polllution and harvesting for food.