A type of fish that is apparently more at home on land than in the water is the latest arrival at the Blue Planet Aquarium, Cheshire Oaks.

A shoal of 25 bizarre Indian dwarf mudskipper fish is settling in to a mangrove-themed display at the award-winning wildlife attraction after being transported directly from Malaysia by a specialist fish importer.

Despite having a display filled with water the fish, which are able to ‘breathe’ on land through specially-adapted gills, appear to be happier on dry land.

Blue Planet Aquarium’s freshwater expert Steve Chester said: “The mudskippers genuinely prefer to spend the majority of their time out of the water.

“They seem to be settling in well and I’m sure will prove very popular with visitors as they are pretty comical looking and have real character.

“The display has been specifically designed for their unique requirements and we’ve included a sloping mudflat section for them to climb up on and floating leaves to rest on.

“They also like to climb the glass and stick on to it about an inch or two above the water level.”

Mudskippers are members of the goby family that have developed a series of adaptations which allow them to spend extended periods of time out of the water – up to 90% in some cases!

Their pectoral fins have been strengthened and act as simple legs allowing themselves to walk on land. In addition to ‘walking’ the fish can also jump up to 20cms into the air.

As well as having special gills which continue to function out of the water, mudskippers also have the ability to breathe through their skins.

Found in tropical and subtropical regions, they live in tidal areas, particularly on mudflats and in mangrove swamps.