Identify the elephantnose fish

The elephantnose fish's mouth resembles a trunk. Its body is dark grey to black in colour, and the two fins located in front of the tail – the dorsal fin and the anal fin – are symmetrical.

The strangest fish of the dark

The elephantnose fish lives at the bottom of slow-moving major rivers. It is active at night and with its electrical sense and movable trunk-like mouth, it locates small prey in the mud.

Detects signals

The elephantnose fish's tail is covered with sensory cells that pick up electrical impulses from other animals' nerves, hearts and muscles. Using this electrolocation sense, the elephantnose fish finds worms and insects even though they are hidden in the mud.

Seeing in the dark

The elephantnose fish finds its way around using electrolocation. It creates a weak electrical field around itself. When stones and plants enter into the electrical field, the elephantnose fish can feel them. The elephantnose fish can form a highly detailed picture of its surroundings.

A big brain

The elephantnose fish's brain is quite large in relation to its weight, compared with other fish. It uses its large brain to process all of the different impressions it perceives with its electrolocation sense. However, its large brain does not make the elephantnose fish a particularly intelligent animal.

Electrical talk

The elephantnose fish uses small electrical shocks to talk with members of its own species. Especially when it is looking for a mate, the elephantnose fish must clearly signal who it is and where it comes from. Elephantnose fish from different areas do not usually breed together. They have developed different electrical dialects to communicate.

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