Senegal Bichir Identification Guide
Identify the Senegal bichir by its armor-like scales, row of separate dorsal finlets, and lobed pectoral fins.
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Key identification features
- Elongate, eel-like, cylindrical body covered in thick, rigid ganoid scales
- Series of small, separate finlets forming a flag-like row along the back instead of one continuous dorsal fin
- Paired, fleshy, lobe-like pectoral fins used to prop the body up
- Small external nostril tubes ("nose tentacles") on the snout
- Plain olive-brown to yellowish body with faint mottling, generally lacking bold bars
- Grows to about 25 to 35 cm
Common look-alikes
- Ornate bichir: shows a much bolder reticulated or barred pattern across the body compared to the Senegal bichir's plainer olive tone
- Delhezi bichir: has striking dark bars and blotches on a pale background, unlike the more uniform coloration of Senegal bichir
- African lungfish: has smooth skin and thin thread-like fins instead of rigid ganoid scales and separate dorsal finlets
Where you'll see one
Senegal bichirs inhabit slow-moving rivers, floodplains, and swamps across West and Central Africa, resting on the bottom and occasionally gulping air at the surface as a facultative air-breather.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a Senegal bichir from an ornate bichir?
Senegal bichir has a plainer, more uniform olive-brown color, while ornate bichir shows a much bolder, strongly patterned reticulated or barred body.
What fin feature is unique to bichirs like the Senegal bichir?
Instead of one continuous dorsal fin, bichirs have a row of small separate finlets running along the back, like a series of little flags.