Mud skippers in a river at Gapuwiyak, Northern Territory

Mud skippers in a river at Gapuwiyak, Northern Territory in June 2009

Mud and mudskippers

Strange amphibians, mudskippers. They are tiny and yet move incredibly quickly, disappearing into the mud in an instant. They are very skittish and usually you only notice them as they disappear into the mud. They are not easy to see either, for being a similar colour to the mud they easily blend in. Fortunately this one didn't notice me as my shadow was facing away from it and i was able to get a good shot of it using a 450 mm telephoto lens. If you click on the image you can see what looks like bluish light on its back. That is from the flash and happened because this animal is semi-translucent. Taken in a mangrove swamp at low tide on Elcho Island in May 2008