A type of ancient freshwater fish from Africa with a long body, multiple small dorsal fins, and primitive lung-like organs that allow it to breathe air.
From Arabic 'bishr' or similar Semitic root words, reflecting the fish's origin in African and Middle Eastern waters where Arabic-speaking peoples first documented it. The name entered English through 19th-century naturalist descriptions of African wildlife.
Bichirs are living fossils—they've barely changed in 100 million years and can survive droughts by gulping air like primitive fish did before they evolved into land animals, making them a window into how early vertebrates worked!
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