Torrent Fish - Panoko

Torrentfish are stocky freshwater fish, perfectly adapted to fast-flowing riffles and rapids. With their paddle-shaped undercut jaw and fleshy upper lip, they expertly pick vertebrates from stone surfaces. Robust pectoral fins help them stay positioned in strong currents. Dark stripes on their bodies provide camouflage in rocky habitats. Amphidromous, they spend their larval stage at sea, returning as juveniles to freshwater. Threatened by sedimentation and habitat degradation, torrentfish rely on loose gravel for survival.