#2106 · 🐟 fish
European Weatherfish
🇳🇱 Grote modderkruiper ·Misgurnus fossilis
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Bernt René Voss Grimm · CC BY 4.0
- 2. © Tiit Hunt · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. © Andre Hosper · CC BY 4.0
- 4. © Andre Hosper · CC BY 4.0
- 5. © Drohvalenko Mykola · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Frits Ahlefeldt · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 7. Wageningen, Nederland:© no rights reserved · CC0
- 8. Nijelamer, Nederland:© teddydolstra · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Sumar, Nederland:© teddydolstra · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Rotstergaast, Nederland:© teddydolstra · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Misgurnus fossilis is a species of loach in the genus Misgurnus . It is commonly known as European weatherfish or European weather loach , due to its activity patterns changing when air pressure rises or falls. If there is a sudden change in barometric pressure, the weatherfish comes to the surface and swims about excitedly. In water with a low oxygen content it gulps air; it extracts oxygen through its intestinal mucous membrane, which has a complex system...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 36 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #35 most seen of the fish in NL.
- 192 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- European Weatherfish
- Nederlands
- Grote modderkruiper
- scientific name
- Misgurnus fossilis
- class
- Actinopterygii
- order
- Cypriniformes
- family
- Cobitidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 36
- sightings in Europe
- 167
- sightings worldwide
- 192
- GBIF records in NL
- 3,431
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Cobitidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 105910, Wikidata Q747794, GBIF 2367936, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.