FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
The Queensland Lungfish is the sole member of the family Ceratodontidae, and one of the only three lungfish species that remain. Olive or dull brown in colour, it grows to about 150 cm in length, more commonly 100 cm.
It is native to the Burnett and Mary River systems of south-east Queensland, but has been introduced into other nearby rivers, including the Brisbane River. It prefers still or slow-flowing water with at least some aquatic vegetation on the banks, particularly deep pools.
Also known as the Australian Lungfish, this creature normally uses its gills for respiration, but is also capable of taking in oxygen from the air during dry seasons.
Studies on the Queensland Lungfish, Neoceratodus Forsteri (Krefft): I. Anatomy, Histology and Functioning of the Lung
The lung of Neoceratodus forsteri consists of a single elongated sac dorsal to the gut and attached firmly along the dorsal mid-line in the region of the vertebral column.
Reproduced from Grigg GC (1965) "Studies on the Queensland Lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Krefft) I. Anatomy, histology and functioning of the lung." Aust J Zool 13 : 243-53 with permission from CSIRO Publishing.
ePrintsUQ - Physiological Responses to Prolonged Aquatic Hypoxia in the Queensland Lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri
Physiological Responses to Prolonged Aquatic Hypoxia in the Queensland Lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri
This suggests that the capacity of lungfish to respond to hypoxia by breathing air removes the necessity for further left-shifting of the oxygen equilibrium curve.
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