Which Australian fish is one of only six surviving lungfish species worldwide?

The Australian lungfish is one of only six surviving lungfish species worldwide.

Also called the Queensland lungfish, it is a freshwater fish native to slow-moving rivers and reservoirs in southeastern Queensland. Its scientific name is Neoceratodus forsteri. The species has a single lung, which allows it to breathe atmospheric air when water is poorly oxygenated, although it normally relies on its gills.

The Australian lungfish is especially important to evolutionary biology because its lineage has remained recognisably similar for hundreds of millions of years. Fossils show that ancient lungfish relatives were once much more widespread, while only a small number of species survive today in Africa, South America, and Australia.

It is often mistaken for an eel or a primitive reptile because of its long body and ability to gulp air. It is still a fish, however, and it lays eggs among aquatic plants rather than giving birth to live young. Habitat changes, dams, and restricted distribution make conservation significant.