Fish
Freshwater fish, especially catfish, are amongst the most important recent discoveries in Borneo.
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Some of these represent amazing adaptations to their environment. For example, the clarids or labyrinth catfishes are named after a labyrinth organ arising from their gills, enabling them to use atmospheric oxygen.
This peculiar group is also known as the forest walking catfishes as some species are capable of travelling over short distances on land.
They also show burrowing adaptations with small eyes and the absence of fins. Their heads are flat and broad and their bodies taper to the tail. Owing to their ability to survive out of the water for extended periods, the walking catfishes are caught for food relatively easily and are subject to subsistence fishers and commercial farming operations.
Borneo also has its own bony tongue fish, confined to slow-flowing rivers and lakes. Prized for the belief in its positive feng shui, large specimens can fetch up to US$20,000 and wild populations are severely threatened by habitat degradation and the aquarium trade. The species is also referred to as the Asian Arowana.
