Definition of lungfish Lungfish

/lʌˈŋfɪˌʃ/ - [lungfish] - lung•fish

We found 5 definitions of lungfish from 5 different sources.

What does lungfish mean?

Noun Plural: lungfishes
lungfish - air-breathing fish having an elongated body and fleshy paired fins; certain species construct mucus-lined mud coverings in which to survive drought
		bony fish any fish of the class Osteichthyes
		dipnoi, subclass dipnoi bony fishes of the southern hemisphere that breathe by a modified air bladder as well as gills; sometimes classified as an order of Crossopterygii

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lungfish (Noun)
air- breathing fish, of the class Dipnoi, that have four limblike appendages instead of fins.

lungfish (n.)
Any fish belonging to the Dipnoi; -- so called because they have both lungs and gills.

Lungfish are special freshwater fish. They are special because they are the only fish that have both gills, as well as lungs. They need this because they live in small lakes and rivers that sometimes dry up. When this happens, these fish don't die, but they can survive in the mud, for up to 4 years. They use their lungs during this time.

Currently there 8 species of lungfish, 6 of them in Africa, one in South America and one in Australia.