What is Bichir?
[[File:Delhezi.JPG|thumb|[[Barred bichir]] (''Polypterus delhezi'')]] '''Bichirs''' and the '''[[reedfish]]''' comprise a [[freshwater fish]] family, the '''Polypteridae''', of ancient [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fishes]]. They are the only [[Family (biology)|family]] in the order '''Polypteriformes'''. All occur in [[Fresh water|freshwater]] habitats in tropical [[Africa]] and the [[Nile]] River system, mainly swampy, shallow [[Floodplain|floodplains]] and [[Estuary|estuaries]]. A closely related group, the [[Scanilepiformes]], are known from the [[Triassic]], and are ancestral to them. The oldest polypterids are around 100 million years old, from the early [[Upper Cretaceous|Late Cretaceous]] of [[South America]] and [[Africa]]. They are [[Living fossil|living fossils]]. == Anatomy == Polypterids are elongated, dragon-like [[freshwater fish]] with a series of dorsal finlets instead of a single [[dorsal fin]]. They have have a maximum body length ranging from 25 cm (9.8 in) to over 100 cm (39 in) depending on specific species and morphology. === ''Bawitius'' === {{main|Bawitius}} [[File:Cuvier-105-Polyptère.jpg|thumb|[[Nile bichir]] (''Polypterus bichir'')]] The scales were different, apart from size, from those of modern [[bichirs]]: they feature a discontinuous ganoine layer, a rectilinear shape, and small articular processes. == ''Serenoichthys'' == {{main|Serenoichthys}} ''[[Serenoichthys]]'' was a small [[polypterid]]. In comparison, the giant polypterid ''[[Bawitius]]'' could reach up to 300 cm (9.8 ft). == In the aquarium == [[File:Bawitius restoration.png|thumb|''[[Bawitius]]'']] Polypterids are popular subjects of public and large hobby [[Aquarium|aquaria]], but tend to stay on the ground. Though predatory, they are actually peaceful. They are sometimes called '''dragon bichir''' or '''dragon fin''' in pet shops for a more appealing name due to their [[dragon]]-like appearance. They are also called '''dinosaur fish''' due to their resemblance to [[Dinosaur|dinosaurs]]. == Related pages == * ''[