Rivers
Rivers cover around 480,000 square miles of our planet. They're crucial to the communities that rely on them—people and animals alike!
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Find
Some animals in Rivers can be hard to spot — take a closer look!
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Breathe
Meet the Australian lungfish, which relies on both gills and lungs to breathe.
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Ripple
Take in freshwater fishes from around the world in this diverse exhibit.
Animals Live Where Freshwater Flows
River animals have developed some incredible adaptations for life in ever-flowing water. Paddlefish have inhabited Earth’s rivers for 125 million years and have retained many of their physical characteristics from prehistoric times. These living fossils swim with a wide-open mouth to catch food drifting by on the current.
The Australian lungfish has also stood the test of time. Lungfish biology has remained virtually unchanged for about 100 million years, essentially making lungfish one of the oldest living animals on the planet. They have a single lung instead of two, and they’re one of few fishes with the unique ability to breathe air when river water runs low during periods of drought.
Clouded Archerfish
Paddlefish
Violet-Line Piranha
Fly River Turtle
Lungfish