Synodontis nigriventris was first described in 1936 and caused quite a stir when it was first exported in 1950. Now the question: 'why do they swim upside down'?. A scientific study was carried out in 1976 on this peculiar upside down scenario, why doesn't this fish get forced back over to its 'rightful position'? The swim bladder was normal and there was nothing untoward about the balancing organ of the ear, as it resembles that of other catfish, but what they found was that the nervous circuitry between the brain and the balancing organ of the ear is rather special, as it can be reset to zero once the body has tilted more than a certain critical degree (about 22 degrees). To read the rest of this original article called
Synodontis nigriventris David, 1936 click here.
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