CreatureData

Sail-fin

Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829

Status not recordedbony fish

The sail-fin (Polypterus senegalus) is a species in the family Polypteridae, order Polypteriformes.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the sail-fin

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the sail-fin live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the sail-fin as introduced in 1 country.

  1. Mexico

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the sail-fin endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the sail-fin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classCladistii
  4. orderPolypteriformes
  5. familyPolypteridae
  6. genusPolypterus
  7. SpeciesPolypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829

Synonyms Polypterus arnaudi, Polypterus arnaudii, Polypterus senagalus, Polypterus senegalensis, Polypterus senegallus, Polypterus senegalus meridionalis, Polypterus senegalus senegalus

Other names and names in other languages (52)
  • Cuvier's bichirEnglish
  • Dinosaur bichirEnglish
  • Gray bichirEnglish
  • Senegal bichirEnglish
  • Otellalz
  • EmsirArabic
  • bichir senegalskýCzech
  • Senegal-bikirDanish
  • Grauer FlösselhechtGerman
  • DingDinka
  • BichirMiddle English
  • DégéEwe
  • ViherniilinhaukiFinnish
  • DekaIrish
  • GwandoHausa
  • ポリプテルス・セネガルスJapanese
  • Gong kakartekim
  • KesklaKrio
  • JeyeiMende
  • Sayomnk
  • KuilwaafoMossi
  • Kusakpanup
  • JuathNuer
  • Wielopletwiec senegalskiPolish
  • Bichir-de-SenegalPortuguese
  • Сенегальский многопёрRussian
  • Mtontarub
  • Otwelshk
  • KeskiaTimne
  • Senegal bişiriTurkish
  • Nagirtuv
  • Otelroot
  • KhâbWolof
  • AdagbaYoruba
  • 塞內加爾多鰭魚Chinese
  • Kukuzne
  • AbshirArabic
  • AbshireArabic
  • Dabib el hutArabic
  • Senegal-FlösselhechtGerman
  • AgwerDinka
  • AdekeEwe
  • AlidekaeEwe
  • SanmekiEwe
  • Gong kekertekim
  • KutenkellieKrio
  • Wielopłetwiec senegalskiPolish
  • Nagirituv
  • Kambaniokaroot
  • KhabéWolof
  • SannkaWolof
  • Gbarangazne

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the sail-fin

Other species in the same genus Polypterus.

Ornate bichir

Polypterus ornatipinnis

PolypteridaeNo free photo yet

Nile bichir

Polypterus bichir

PolypteridaeNo free photo yet

CompareSail-fin vs Ornate bichirSail-fin vs Nile bichirSail-fin vs Fathead bichirSail-fin vs Barred bichir

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the sail-fin an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the sail-fin as introduced in 1 country: Mexico, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the sail-fin?

The sail-fin (Polypterus senegalus) belongs to the family Polypteridae in the order Polypteriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Sail-fin (Polypterus senegalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sail-fin

MLA

“Sail-fin (Polypterus senegalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sail-fin.

BibTeX
@misc{sail_fin_2026,
  title = {Sail-fin (Polypterus senegalus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sail-fin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}