Imagine having to endure a live fish being stuck in your throat for 14 hours. That's what happened to one 12-year-old boy residing in a rural part of Malaysia who had a chance encounter with a climbing perch, a species of fish that can survive out of water for up to 7 hours. More from The Star:
He removed the hook and tried to bite the head of the [four-centimeter-long] fish to kill it but it slipped into his mouth and lodged itself in his throat [...]
It was already 11 PM by the time he arrived [at the hospital] and the boy was spitting blood. The fish had by then died and a foul smell emanated from the boy's mouth. The operation to remove the dead fish took just a few minutes.
According to Fish Base, the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) is able to survive on land for hours thanks to a special organ allowing it to breathe atmospheric oxygen for several hours at a time. Its musculature also allows the fish to move on the ground, which you can see for yourself below:It was already 11 PM by the time he arrived [at the hospital] and the boy was spitting blood. The fish had by then died and a foul smell emanated from the boy's mouth. The operation to remove the dead fish took just a few minutes.
