The Ornate Bichir is a bony fish that lives in Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...

 and the Congo River

Congo River

The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...

 basin in Central

Central Africa

Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....

 and East Africa

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

.

Description

P. ornatipinnis has black and yellow patterning on its body, head, and fins, with 9 to 11 dorsal spines. It is the largest of the Polypterus species with a protruding upper jaw, reaching 24 inches (61 cm) in length. This fish can range colours from dark brown to brownish grey and is very common in the aquarium trade, like many other bichirs, this fish also has a primitive pair of lungs enabling it to survive out of water for a short time. It has two eyes on the sides on its head, two pectoral fins and is one of the most attractive of the bichirs.

External Links

• Care information for the Ornate Bichir at The Aquarium Wiki