🐉 Mokele-Mbembe Bichir – (Polypterus mokelembembe) – Central Congo Blackwater Bichir

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir (Polypterus mokelembembe) is a distinctive African bichir from the central Congo River Basin, prized for its prehistoric appearance, compact adult size compared with many other bichirs, broad rounded pectoral fins, armored ganoid scales, and dark saddle-like pattern.

This species was formally described only in 2006. Before that, specimens were frequently confused with the closely related Polypterus retropinnis and sometimes appeared in the aquarium trade under the incorrect name Polypterus lowei.

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir is among the smaller members of the genus Polypterus, but it is still a substantial predatory fish capable of reaching approximately 10–12 inches and requires an appropriately sized, tightly covered aquarium with plenty of bottom area.

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🔎 Quick Facts – Mokele-Mbembe Bichir

• 📛 Common Name: Mokele-Mbembe Bichir
• 📛 Other Names: Mokele Bichir, Mbembe Bichir, Moke Bichir
• 🔬 Scientific Name: Polypterus mokelembembe
• 📅 Formally Described: 2006
• 🐟 Family: Polypteridae
• 🧬 Order: Polypteriformes
• 📏 Current Listing Size: Approximately 8–10 inches
• 🍽️ Currently Eating: Frozen Tilapia
• 🌍 Continent: Africa
• 🌊 Native Basin: Middle Congo River Basin
• 🇨🇩 Range: Democratic Republic of the Congo
• 🇨🇬 Range: Republic of the Congo
• 🌊 Documented Drainages: Maringa, Tshuapa and Alima
• 📍 Type Locality: Wamba, Maringa River, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• 🌑 Natural Habitat: Smaller blackwater streams and Congo Basin freshwater habitats
• 💧 Water Type: Freshwater
• 📏 Scientific Maximum: Approximately 26.7 cm / 10.5 inches standard length
• 📏 Documented Total Length: Approximately 28 cm / 11 inches
• 📏 Adult Planning Size: Approximately 10–12 inches
• 🏠 Recommended Aquarium: 75 gallons or larger
• 📐 Recommended Length: Approximately 4 feet or longer
• 🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 76–82°F
• 💧 pH: Approximately 6.0–7.5
• 🌊 Water Movement: Low to Moderate
• 💨 Surface Access: Absolutely Required
• 🫁 Special Adaptation: Air-breathing paired lungs
• 🍽️ Diet: Carnivorous / Predatory
• 🐟 Small Fish: May Be Eaten
• 🦐 Shrimp: Not Safe Tankmates
• 🌙 Activity: Primarily crepuscular / nocturnal
• 😌 Temperament: Generally peaceful toward animals too large to eat
• 🏃 Escape Risk: Very High – tight lid required
• 🥚 Reproduction: Egg Scatterer
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Parental Care: None
• ♂️ Male Identification: Enlarged, thickened anal fin
• ⭐ Care Level: Intermediate
• 🌎 Conservation Status: Least Concern

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🧬 Valid Scientific Species

The currently accepted scientific name is:

Polypterus mokelembembe

The species was formally described by:

Ulrich K. Schliewen & Frank Schäfer

in:

2006

The current scientific classification continues to recognize Polypterus mokelembembe as a valid species.

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⚠️ Historically Confused With Polypterus retropinnis

Before 2006, Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs were often confused with:

Polypterus retropinnis

Some aquarium fish were also historically sold under:

Polypterus lowei

These names should not be used for correctly identified P. mokelembembe.

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🆚 Mokele-Mbembe vs. Polypterus retropinnis

The two species can appear superficially similar because both are:

• Relatively small bichirs
• Darkly patterned
• Native to central African freshwater systems
• Equipped with similar elongated body shapes

However, scientific examination confirmed differences involving:

• Scale counts
• Pectoral-fin rays
• Dorsal-spine proportions
• Head measurements
• Color pattern

For aquarium purposes:

DO NOT RELABEL MOKELE-MBEMBE AS P. RETROPINNIS

Preserve supplier and locality information whenever available.

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🎨 Appearance

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir has an elongated, heavily armored body.

Typical colors include:

• Olive brown
• Gray-brown
• Dark brown
• Greenish brown
• Charcoal

with darker:

• Bands
• Blotches
• Saddles
• Mottled markings

across the upper body.

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🖤 Dark Saddle Pattern

One of the characteristic features is the presence of:

BROAD, IRREGULAR DARK BANDS AND BLOTCHES

These markings may merge across the back to form:

DARK SADDLES

especially toward the front half of the body.

The exact pattern differs between individuals.

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⚫ Black Pectoral-Fin Marking

The species also develops a distinctive:

DARK OR BLACK BLOTCH AT THE BASE OF THE PECTORAL FIN

This is one of the characters scientists use when comparing P. mokelembembe with other bichirs.

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🪶 Broad Rounded Pectoral Fins

The pectoral fins are:

• Broad
• Rounded
• Almost circular

and are used almost like limbs when the bichir moves slowly across the bottom.

Watching a bichir maneuver along the substrate is one of the most interesting aspects of keeping the genus.

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🐉 Multiple Individual Dorsal Finlets

Rather than having one continuous dorsal fin like most fishes, bichirs possess a row of separate:

DORSAL FINLETS

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir normally has approximately:

6–8 DORSAL FINLETS

Each finlet has its own spine.

This gives the fish its unmistakably prehistoric appearance.

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🛡️ Ganoid Scales

The body is covered with:

HARD GANOID SCALES

These thick, armor-like scales differ greatly from the softer overlapping scales found on many modern aquarium fishes.

They provide the bichir with a remarkably tough outer covering.

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🧬 An Ancient Fish Lineage

Bichirs belong to an exceptionally ancient branch of ray-finned fishes.

They are often popularly called:

“LIVING FOSSILS”

because their lineage has an extremely long evolutionary history and they retain several unusual anatomical characteristics.

However:

THEY HAVE NOT REMAINED LITERALLY UNCHANGED THROUGH TIME

Like every living species, modern bichirs are the result of continuing evolution.

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🫁 Bichirs Have Lungs

One of the most fascinating features of Polypterus is its ability to breathe atmospheric air.

Bichirs possess:

PAIRED LUNGS

that allow them to gulp air from the surface.

This is an important biological adaptation and a critical aquarium-care requirement.

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🚨 Surface Access Is Mandatory

A Mokele-Mbembe Bichir must always be able to:

REACH THE WATER SURFACE

to breathe atmospheric air.

Never completely block surface access with:

• Floating decorations
• Solid covers touching the water
• Dense equipment
• Overgrown floating plants

The fish must have an unobstructed route to the surface.

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⚠️ Air Breathing Does Not Mean Dirty Water Is Acceptable

Because bichirs can breathe atmospheric air, some people incorrectly assume they can simply be maintained in:

• Low oxygen
• Dirty water
• Poor filtration
• High ammonia
• High nitrite

That is incorrect.

Provide:

CLEAN, WELL-FILTERED WATER

at all times.

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🏃 EXTREME ESCAPE RISK

One of the most important husbandry requirements for every bichir is:

A TIGHT-FITTING LID

Bichirs are:

EXCELLENT ESCAPE ARTISTS

and can squeeze through surprisingly small openings.

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🚨 Cover Every Opening

Carefully inspect openings around:

• Filter hoses
• Heater wires
• Air lines
• Overflow boxes
• Aquarium lids
• Plumbing

A gap that looks too small may still be large enough for a determined bichir.

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⚠️ Never Assume the Fish Cannot Escape

Bichirs can:

• Climb
• Push against lids
• Squeeze through gaps
• Leave the aquarium during nighttime activity

An escaped bichir may survive outside water longer than many ordinary fishes because of its air-breathing ability, but:

IT CAN STILL DIE FROM DESICCATION, INJURY OR TRAUMA

Prevent escape rather than relying on its ability to survive briefly outside water.

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🌍 Native Distribution

Polypterus mokelembembe is native to the:

MIDDLE CONGO RIVER BASIN

in Central Africa.

Its known range includes both:

🇨🇩 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

and:

🇨🇬 REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

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🌊 Democratic Republic of the Congo

Scientifically documented locations include the:

MARINGA RIVER

within the Lulonga drainage.

The species is also known from the:

TSHUAPA RIVER

within the Ruki drainage.

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🌊 Republic of the Congo

The species is also scientifically documented from the:

ALIMA DRAINAGE

of the Republic of the Congo.

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📍 Type Locality

The scientific type locality is:

WAMBA, MARINGA RIVER

in the:

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The holotype was collected there in:

1952

although the species itself was not formally described until 2006.

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🌑 Blackwater Habitat

Aquarium and scientific sources particularly associate Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs with:

SMALLER BLACKWATER STREAMS

within the Congo region.

Blackwater environments commonly contain:

• Tannins
• Fallen leaves
• Wood
• Submerged branches
• Dark substrate
• Shaded areas
• Relatively subdued lighting

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🌿 Aquarium Habitat

A naturalistic Mokele-Mbembe aquarium can contain:

• Sand
• Smooth gravel
• Driftwood
• Large roots
• Smooth rocks
• Leaf-litter-style décor
• Hardy plants
• Floating plants
• Caves
• Shaded areas

The aquarium does not need to reproduce extreme acidic blackwater conditions to keep the species successfully.

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💡 Subdued Lighting Is Preferred

Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs generally do not appreciate:

VERY BRIGHT LIGHTING

They are naturally:

• Secretive
• Crepuscular
• Nocturnal
• Cover-oriented

Use:

• Floating plants
• Driftwood
• Shaded corners
• Caves
• Dimmer lighting

to give the fish secure areas.

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🏠 Provide Multiple Hiding Areas

Good shelters can include:

• Large driftwood arches
• Smooth caves
• Large PVC-style shelters concealed with décor
• Rock overhangs
• Dense planting

Make sure every shelter is large enough that the fish cannot become:

WEDGED OR TRAPPED

as it grows.

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🏖️ Substrate

A:

SOFT SAND SUBSTRATE

is an excellent choice.

Smooth fine gravel can also work.

Avoid excessively:

• Sharp gravel
• Jagged rock
• Rough abrasive substrate

because bichirs spend considerable time in contact with the bottom.

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🌊 Water Movement

Unlike many high-flow plecos, the Mokele-Mbembe Bichir does:

NOT REQUIRE STRONG CURRENT

Its natural blackwater habitat includes slower freshwater environments.

Provide:

LOW TO MODERATE WATER MOVEMENT

with good filtration.

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💨 Oxygenation

Normal good aquarium oxygenation is recommended.

However, this species does not need the extreme river-style oxygenation demanded by many rheophilic plecos.

Remember:

SURFACE ACCESS FOR AIR BREATHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CREATING EXTREME CURRENT

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📏 Adult Size – Important Correction

The older page lists approximately:

13–16 INCHES

as the adult size.

That is too large for currently documented Polypterus mokelembembe.

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🔬 Scientific Maximum

FishBase currently documents:

26.7 CM STANDARD LENGTH

which equals approximately:

10.5 INCHES BEFORE THE COMPLETE TAIL

African freshwater-fish records give a total length around:

28 CM / APPROXIMATELY 11 INCHES

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📏 Responsible Adult Planning

For aquarium planning:

EXPECT APPROXIMATELY 10–12 INCHES

This gives the customer a reasonable safety margin without exaggerating the species into a 16-inch bichir.

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🐟 One of the Smaller Bichirs

Mokele-Mbembe is among the more compact members of Polypterus.

That makes it substantially easier to accommodate than giant bichirs capable of reaching:

• 20 inches
• 24 inches
• 30+ inches

However:

SMALLER DOES NOT MEAN SMALL AQUARIUM FISH

A 10–12 inch predatory bottom fish still requires substantial space.

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🏠 Aquarium Size

For one mature Mokele-Mbembe Bichir:

75 GALLONS OR LARGER

is my preferred permanent recommendation.

A wide-bottom aquarium is especially useful.

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📐 Aquarium Length

Aim for an aquarium approximately:

4 FEET LONG OR LONGER

with sufficient front-to-back width for the fish to:

• Turn comfortably
• Explore
• Rest fully extended
• Reach the surface easily

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📐 Footprint Matters More Than Height

Bichirs spend much of their time around the:

BOTTOM

Therefore:

LENGTH + WIDTH

are generally more valuable than a very tall aquarium.

A broad footprint provides more usable territory.

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⚠️ Current 8–10 Inch Fish Are Already Near Adult Size

The current product listing size is approximately:

8–10 INCHES

That means these are not tiny juveniles needing temporary grow-out housing.

Customers should already have the:

PERMANENT ADULT AQUARIUM

ready before purchasing.

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💧 Water Parameters

A practical long-term range is:

• 🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 76–82°F
• 💧 pH: Approximately 6.0–7.5
• 💦 Hardness: Soft to moderately mineralized
• 🌊 Water Movement: Low to Moderate
• 💨 Oxygenation: Normal Good Aquarium Oxygenation
• 🫁 Atmospheric Air Access: Required
• ☠️ Ammonia: 0 ppm
• ☠️ Nitrite: 0 ppm
• 🔄 Nitrate: Keep as low as reasonably practical

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🌡️ Temperature

A practical aquarium range is:

76–82°F

Slight variation is generally tolerated once specimens are established.

Stable temperature is more important than constantly adjusting the aquarium.

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⚠️ Stable Water Is Important

Avoid large abrupt changes in:

• Temperature
• pH
• Hardness

especially with newly imported specimens.

Regular partial water changes and stable maintenance are much safer than constantly chasing one exact numerical value.

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💩 Filtration

Bichirs are carnivorous fish that produce significant organic waste.

Use strong biological and mechanical filtration appropriate for the aquarium volume.

Suitable systems can include:

• Canister filters
• Sump filtration
• Large hang-on-back filters
• Sponge filtration as supplemental filtration

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🔄 Water Changes

Regular partial water changes are important.

The exact schedule depends on:

• Aquarium size
• Stocking
• Feeding
• Filtration
• Nitrate production

Maintain:

AMMONIA = 0

and:

NITRITE = 0

at all times.

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🍽️ Diet – Carnivorous Predator

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir is:

CARNIVOROUS

and should receive animal-based foods.

It is not:

• Herbivorous
• Algae eating
• Wood eating

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🐟 Currently Eating Frozen Tilapia

The current Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids listing identifies these fish as eating:

FROZEN TILAPIA

This is an excellent food to continue incorporating into a varied diet after arrival.

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🍽️ Recommended Foods

Suitable foods include:

• Tilapia
• Mysis shrimp
• Krill
• Shrimp
• Prawn
• Earthworms
• Bloodworms
• Mussel
• Appropriate pieces of fish
• Insect larvae
• High-quality carnivore pellets
• Quality sinking predatory-fish foods

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⚖️ Provide Dietary Variety

Do not rely exclusively on:

ONE FOOD

for the entire life of the fish.

A varied diet helps provide a broader nutritional profile.

For example:

TILAPIA + SHRIMP + WORMS + QUALITY PELLETS

can provide good dietary variety.

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🚫 Avoid Routine Feeder Fish

There is no need to feed live feeder fish.

Common feeder fish can introduce:

• Parasites
• Bacteria
• Disease
• Nutritional deficiencies

A diet based on quality:

• Frozen foods
• Fresh aquatic foods
• Prepared carnivore foods

is generally safer.

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🦐 Shrimp Are Food

Do not house Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs with ornamental shrimp and expect them to remain safe.

Small crustaceans may be treated as:

FOOD

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🐟 Small Fish Are Food

One of the most important compatibility rules is:

IF IT FITS IN THE BICHIR'S MOUTH, IT MAY BE EATEN

This can include:

• Tetras
• Rasboras
• Small barbs
• Livebearers
• Small catfish
• Fry

even if the bichir initially appears peaceful toward them.

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🌙 Hunting Usually Increases at Night

A small tankmate may appear safe during daylight.

That does not mean it will remain safe after:

THE LIGHTS GO OUT

Bichirs rely heavily on:

• Smell
• Chemical sensing
• Close-range hunting

and are effective nocturnal predators.

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😌 Temperament

Toward animals that are:

TOO LARGE TO SWALLOW

the Mokele-Mbembe Bichir is generally considered relatively:

PEACEFUL

for a predatory fish.

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🐟 Suitable Tankmate Characteristics

Better tankmates are generally:

• Too large to swallow
• Not extremely aggressive
• Not fin nippers
• Not hypercompetitive feeders
• Comfortable at similar temperatures

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⚠️ Avoid Bullying Tankmates

Mokele-Mbembe can be comparatively shy.

Very aggressive tankmates may:

• Outcompete it for food
• Cause chronic stress
• Injure it
• Prevent normal feeding

Choose companions carefully.

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🐉 Keeping With Other Bichirs

Mokele-Mbembe can potentially coexist with other appropriately sized bichirs when:

• Aquarium space is adequate
• All individuals are too large to swallow each other
• Food is distributed properly
• Aggression is monitored

However, larger or more assertive bichir species may dominate feeding.

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🍽️ Watch Feeding Competition

Because Mokele-Mbembe can be shy:

MAKE SURE IT ACTUALLY GETS FOOD

rather than assuming food added to the aquarium is being shared equally.

Feed near its preferred resting location if necessary.

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🌙 Primarily Nocturnal

The species is primarily:

CREPUSCULAR / NOCTURNAL

It is commonly more active:

• Around dusk
• After lights dim
• At night
• During feeding

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☀️ Established Fish Can Become Daytime Feeders

Once comfortable, many bichirs learn:

• Feeding schedules
• Keeper routines
• Where food enters the aquarium

An established fish may become surprisingly active during daylight when it expects food.

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👃 Excellent Chemical Senses

Bichirs do not depend only on vision to locate food.

Their sensory system is well suited to searching for prey under:

• Low light
• Murky conditions
• Nighttime conditions

This helps explain their success as nocturnal predators.

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🧪 Acclimation

Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs entering a new aquarium should be given time to settle.

After arrival:

• Keep lighting subdued
• Provide immediate hiding places
• Maintain stable temperature
• Maintain clean water
• Confirm surface access
• Keep the lid completely secure
• Confirm feeding

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🍽️ Confirm Feeding

A newly arrived specimen may initially remain hidden.

Offer familiar animal-based foods such as:

FROZEN TILAPIA

near its shelter, especially:

• At dusk
• After lights dim

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⚠️ Do Not Overfeed

Bichirs often eat enthusiastically once established.

Avoid feeding enormous meals that leave the abdomen excessively distended.

It is better to provide:

APPROPRIATELY PORTIONED MEALS

and remove uneaten food before it decomposes.

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♂️ Male vs. Female

Sexing mature bichirs is much easier than sexing many aquarium fishes.

The primary feature is the:

ANAL FIN

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♂️ Mature Male

A mature male develops an anal fin that is:

• Much larger
• Broader
• Thicker
• More muscular

than that of a female.

The male's anal fin can become more than twice as substantial as the female's.

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♀️ Mature Female

Females generally have a:

SMALLER, NARROWER ANAL FIN

Mature females may also become:

• Fuller-bodied
• Broader through the abdomen

when carrying eggs.

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⚠️ Juveniles Can Be Harder to Sex

The anal-fin difference becomes clearest after sexual maturation.

Smaller or immature fish should not automatically be sexed with certainty.

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🥚 Captive Reproduction – Documented but Uncommon

Mokele-Mbembe Bichirs have:

REPRODUCED IN CAPTIVITY

but captive breeding remains uncommon.

The original scientific description itself noted a captive reproductive event.

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💕 Bichir Courtship

During courtship, the mature male swims closely beside the female.

The male spreads his greatly enlarged:

ANAL FIN

into a bowl-like shape around the female's genital region.

This helps receive and fertilize eggs as they are released.

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🥚 Egg Scatterer

Unlike plecos that deposit a clutch inside a cave, bichirs produce eggs that are:

SCATTERED

into the surrounding environment.

Eggs may become attached among:

• Plants
• Fine-leaved vegetation
• Spawning media
• Protected surfaces

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🚫 No Parental Care

After spawning:

BICHIRS DO NOT PROVIDE PARENTAL CARE

Adults may consume:

• Eggs
• Larvae

if the young remain accessible.

Breeding setups generally require separation or protection of eggs and fry.

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👶 Larvae Have External Gills

Newly hatched bichir larvae look remarkably different from adults.

They possess:

EXTERNAL GILLS

similar in appearance to those of:

• Newt larvae
• Salamander larvae

These external gills are eventually lost as the young fish develops.

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🥚 Females Can Produce Many Eggs

Scientific examination of a large female P. mokelembembe found:

SEVERAL HUNDRED DEVELOPING EGGS

in the ovaries.

That does not mean every aquarium spawning will produce hundreds of surviving fry.

Actual spawning success depends on:

• Female maturity
• Conditioning
• Fertilization
• Egg survival
• Fry care

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⚠️ Breeding Is an Advanced Project

Although reproduction is biologically well understood in bichirs:

ROUTINE CAPTIVE BREEDING OF P. MOKELEMBEMBE IS UNCOMMON

It is best approached by experienced keepers prepared to manage:

• Mature adults
• Seasonal spawning behavior
• Egg protection
• Tiny larvae
• Live or appropriately sized fry foods
• Excellent water quality

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🌎 Conservation Status

Polypterus mokelembembe is currently classified as:

LEAST CONCERN

on the IUCN Red List.

The assessment currently referenced was completed in:

2009

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⚠️ Least Concern Does Not Mean Careless Collection

The species is known from a relatively limited number of documented Congo Basin localities.

Aquarium exports appear to occur in comparatively small numbers.

Responsible:

• Sourcing
• Importation
• Husbandry
• Permanent housing

remain important.

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🐉 Why the Name Mokele-Mbembe?

The species was named after:

MOKÈLÉ-MBÈMBÉ

a legendary creature from Central African folklore and modern cryptozoological stories associated with the Congo Basin.

The scientists chose the name as an allusion to the:

ANCIENT EVOLUTIONARY LINEAGE OF BICHIRS

and their prehistoric appearance.

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⭐ Why Keep a Mokele-Mbembe Bichir?

The species combines:

• 🐉 Prehistoric appearance
• 🛡️ Armored ganoid scales
• 🪶 Individual dorsal finlets
• 🫁 Atmospheric air breathing
• 🌑 Congo Basin blackwater origin
• 🎨 Attractive saddle-like pattern
• 📏 Manageable 10–12 inch size compared with many bichirs
• 😌 Relatively peaceful temperament toward large tankmates
• 🌙 Interesting nocturnal behavior
• 🍽️ Predatory feeding behavior
• 🥚 Fascinating reproductive biology
• 🧬 Formally recognized scientific identity

into one of the most interesting smaller bichirs available to experienced aquarium keepers.

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⚠️ Important Considerations

Before purchasing a Mokele-Mbembe Bichir:

• The correct scientific name is Polypterus mokelembembe.
• The species was formally described in 2006.
• It was historically confused with Polypterus retropinnis.
• It was sometimes incorrectly traded as Polypterus lowei.
• The species is native to the middle Congo River Basin.
• It occurs in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo.
• Confirmed drainages include the Maringa, Tshuapa and Alima.
• The type locality is the Maringa River at Wamba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The species is associated with smaller blackwater streams.
• Current scientific records document 26.7 cm / 10.5 inches standard length.
• African freshwater records document approximately 28 cm / 11 inches total length.
• Remove the old 13–16 inch maximum.
• Plan for approximately 10–12 inches as an adult.
• The current listing size is already approximately 8–10 inches.
• Provide approximately 75 gallons or larger.
• Prioritize aquarium length and width.
• A 4-foot or longer aquarium is recommended.
• Keep a tightly fitted lid on the aquarium at all times.
• Seal every opening around equipment.
• Bichirs are extremely capable escape artists.
• The fish must always have access to atmospheric air at the water surface.
• Air-breathing ability does not make poor water quality acceptable.
• Maintain approximately 76–82°F.
• Maintain approximately pH 6.0–7.5.
• Low to moderate water movement is appropriate.
• Strong river-style current is unnecessary.
• Provide subdued lighting and substantial cover.
• Sand or smooth substrate is preferred.
• Feed a carnivorous diet.
• Frozen tilapia is currently accepted.
• Provide dietary variety with shrimp, worms, krill, mussels and quality carnivore foods.
• Avoid routine feeder fish.
• Any fish small enough to swallow may become prey.
• Ornamental shrimp are not safe.
• Choose tankmates too large to eat and calm enough not to bully the bichir.
• Males develop a much larger anal fin than females.
• Captive reproduction has been documented but remains uncommon.
• Bichirs scatter eggs and provide no parental care.
• Larvae develop external gills.
• The species is currently assessed as Least Concern.
• Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.

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🧬 Taxonomy

The currently accepted scientific name is:

Polypterus mokelembembe Schliewen & Schäfer, 2006

Classification:

• Class: Cladistii
• Order: Polypteriformes
• Family: Polypteridae
• Genus: Polypterus
• Species: mokelembembe

Native distribution:

MIDDLE CONGO RIVER BASIN – CENTRAL AFRICA

including:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Republic of the Congo

For this product, use:

Mokele-Mbembe Bichir – (Polypterus mokelembembe)

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🧬 Identification Disclaimer

The Mokele-Mbembe Bichir was historically confused with:

Polypterus retropinnis

and older aquarium shipments may also have used:

Polypterus lowei

The current accepted species is:

Polypterus mokelembembe

Preserve:

• Supplier identification
• Collection locality when known
• Import records

especially when maintaining or breeding less commonly imported bichirs.

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🏃 Escape-Proof Aquarium Disclaimer

Bichirs are exceptionally capable escape artists.

The aquarium must have:

A SECURE, TIGHT-FITTING LID

All gaps around:

• Filters
• Plumbing
• Electrical cables
• Air tubing

should be securely covered.

The fish must also retain unobstructed access to atmospheric air at the water surface.

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🚚 Live Fish Shipping

Live fish are professionally packed for safe transport.

Shipping availability depends on:

• Fish size
• Destination
• Weather conditions
• Carrier availability
• Applicable state and local regulations

Larger bichirs may require:

• Larger insulated shipping boxes
• Additional water
• Heavy-duty shipping bags
• Multiple protective bag layers
• Specialized packing
• Airline cargo shipping depending on size and destination

Please review our Shipping & Payment Information and Live Arrival Guarantee / DOA Policy before ordering.

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⚠️ Buyer Responsibility

Customers are responsible for confirming that Polypterus mokelembembe may legally be purchased, possessed, transported, and received in their state or local jurisdiction before ordering.

Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.