Natural History Wanderings

Science reports on a fish that can climb waterfalls.

When the Nopili goby (Sicyopterus stimpsoni) moves from salt water to fresh water, it turns its frown upside down. Over the course of about 2 days, the finger-sized fish’s mouth migrates from the tip of the head to its chin. That new orientation lets the goby do two things: scrape food from rocks and climb up waterfalls. That’s right—to get to the upper parts of streams where they mate, the fish have to drag their bodies up walls of wet rocks. The goby uses its suctioning mouth and a sucker on its stomach to inch upward like a caterpillar.

Read more ScienceShot: Meet the Amazing, Waterfall-Climbing Fish | Science/AAAS | News.