THAT is a difficult question to answer.
Is it that they breathe air? Is it their weird teeth? Their ginormous genomes? Is it that they have some of the same bones in their fins that we have in our own arms? Is it that their lineage stretches back over 400 million years and they are some of the most enduring, long-lived species alive today? Maybe it is their cute little beady eyes?
For my final post for 2024, I’ll direct you to a “Quick Guide” all about lungfishes, published today in Current Biology***. I hope you enjoy it!
*** if you can’t get behind the paywall, send me a message and I can supply a special “share link” to access the article. Current Biology, “Lungfishes” article available here: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)01221-1?rss=yes
Dr Alice Clement 