Fish That Climb a Sheer 50 Foot Rock Cliff

Nearly all fish spend their entire lives in water - it’s sort of a big qualification to classify as a fish, after all. However, some species occasionally behave in ways that recall their land-curious evolutionary ancestors.

Look closely and you can just see the little fish | Credit: Pacifique Kiwela

Whilst OGN discovered that there is proof that a shark in Australia could walk (yes, really), the idea that a fish could scale a sheer rock face did not seem entirely implausible. So, it's wonderful to hear that after multiple excursions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), biologists can finally confirm that a remarkable fish species can give adept human rock climbers a run for their money.

According to a new study, the tiny shellear fish - Parakneria thysi - will spend hours crawling up the Luvilombo Falls' cliffside to reach better habitats. It's a remarkable feat of endurance and, if a stray jet knocks them off, they have to start again.

Tales of parkouring shellears, each measuring only 1.4 to 1.9 inches long, have circulated in the DRC for over 50 years. But these claims remained unverified without any concrete scientific evidence - until now.

Luvilombo Falls during the climbing migration of April / May | Credit: Pacifique Kiwela

To achieve their rock climbing objective, the fish use hook-like growths on the undersides of both their pectoral and pelvic fins to push themselves upward. They will also move the rear of their bodies from side-to-side to provide additional momentum. All of this is done as water continues to flow against them.

The difficult conditions make it arduous work. The team notes it takes a shellear around 10 hours to scale the nearly 50-foot-high cliffside of Luvilombo Falls.

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There Really Is A Shark That Can Walk: Did you know Australian waters are home to a walking shark? Perhaps implausibly, and definitely remarkably, the epaulette shark walks on its paddle-shaped fins both in and out of the water.