SHORTBODY!!!!

[santoury]

Not sure if anyone else has seen a SHORTBODY lungfish (except for that one Australian, Shorty)

Shortbodies seem to be kind of a ... um... let's just say that everyone seems to enjoy seeing them... so here's one!!!

Shortbody Protopterus annectens in a "photo tank" LOL

He is about 8 inches and growing very slowly.

 

[E_americanus]

interesting fish for sure. not sure if its a true shortbody though, it just looks like it's tail was at one point chopped off (or bitten off or not well-developed) and its growing back slowly. the rest of the body (at least from these pics) appears normal proportion and i would guess it has the normal form/number of vertebrae. nice fish nevertheless.--
--solomon

 

[santoury]

I have had this fish for at least six months, and when I first got him, he was about 5 inches. His tail was not damaged in any way, but it appears that he was born without the space betwen the rear legs, and the tail. TECHNICALLY not a "shortbody" you're right, but rather, a "shortabdomen" By now, he should be pushing 1 1/2 feet. In other words, I'm not mincing words. It is what it is.

But basically, he was born with a short abdominal area, it wasn't a damaged tail. I have some of THOSE as well, and they grow back perfectly normally.
And no, this is not growing out. This is what he will look like for life.

 

[santoury]

Look at the new thread "post your unusual fish" -- Rallyman has a shortbody Krib on there - THAT is what this lungfish "has" ... That krib has a normal body, but no "tail base"

Should we just call them "shortabdomens" ?? Not sure what a TRUE shortbody is. I've always thought of it as being a generic term for fish like my lungfish and his krib...

 

[E_americanus]

Look at the new thread "post your unusual fish" -- Rallyman has a shortbody Krib on there - THAT is what this lungfish "has" ... That krib has a normal body, but no "tail base"

Should we just call them "shortabdomens" ?? Not sure what a TRUE shortbody is. I've always thought of it as being a generic term for fish like my lungfish and his krib...

short body generally refers to fishes that have fewer vertebrae or a modification of vertebrae due to some sort of deformity or mutation in development.

if you look at short-body bichirs and arowanas, you will see that they are not individuals with just the tail issue like yours. and the region on the fish you are describing is not the fishes abdomen (that would be between the pectoral fins and pelvic fins from the lower lateral to ventral area), but the tail or caudal/post-anal region.--
--solomon

ps-- now that you have a camera, what about some shots of all those other lungfish?

 

[santoury]

A few of the other lungfish are floating around in here somewhere... under the "unusual fish" post and under lungfish. Three or four of them are up.

As for the shortbody issue, thanks for clearing this up...

So what should we call that krib, and this guy? "Short Post-Anals?" Lovely name yes?

 

[Bogwoodbruce]

Still a nice fish though. Do we all agree?