July 2016

COVER
STORY
The Stunning Beauty of
Siamese Fighting Fish
令 人 惊 叹 的 暹 罗 斗 鱼
All pictures
Visarute Angkatavanich
When the iPhone6 was introduced to the world last year,
many users chose the pictures of a Siamese fighting fish as
wallpaper. The person behind these high-resolution screen
pictures is a Thai photographer named Visarute Angkatavanich.
The 45-year-old photographer’s signature images are
stunning and truly reflect the grace and beauty of the
Siamese fighting fish. The brilliant coloration and long flowing
fins make it one of the most well-known aquarium fish.
Siamese fighting fish, also call Betta Splendens are small
(up to 3 inches long). They are rather plain-colored fish,
native to the Mekong River basin in Thailand (previously
called Siam). The Siamese fighting fish makes its home in
rivers, rice paddies, drainage ditches and the warm flood
plains of the region. The vibrant resiliant fish has quickly
become accustomed to frequent storm flooding and devastating
droughts. The cyclic, drastic changes in its environment
have meant the fish has adapted - becoming a true labyrinth
fish. A labyrinth fish has the unique ability to breathe oxygen
directly from the air and also take in oxygen from its gills. As
a result, Bettas and other labyrinth fish can survive for short
periods of time out of water, and if needed, can inhale the
air around them. This also explains why a Betta can sustain
itself in stagnant oxygen deficient water.
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