Australian Lungfish
Neoceratodus forsteri
Rivers are the life-blood of Australia, yet lurking in the depths of a handful of South East Queensland’s rivers, a mysterious inhabitant is only just coming to light.
An animal so successful at survival it’s remained virtually unchanged for millions of years! It has fins that look like legs, armour-like scales, a fully-functioning lung and can breathe on land! It is thought to be the oldest surviving relative of all terrestrial vertebrates that paved the way for land-based evolution and eventually resulted in us!
But how does our modern-day use of Australia’s valuable river systems affect this remarkable creature? As we dam our waterways, extract their water and alter our riparian landscapes can this living fossil survive any longer?
This is the story of the Australian Lungfish.