A fish that can hibernate for years without food or water

The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens), also known as the Tana lungfish, is a species of African lungfish. It is found in a wide range of freshwater habitats in West and Middle Africa, as well as the northern half of Southern Africa. 

A fish that can hibernate for years without food or water could help scientists one day figure out how to put people into suspended animation to buy extra time during life saving operations. The African lungfish can sleep out of water for three to five years without any sustenance, only to wake up when freshwater surroundings become available. A study showing what happens on the cellular level to the fish could help scientists one day induce a similar state in humans, making long distance space travel and more advanced forms of medicine possible.

During suspended animation, the fish don't eat or drink and produce no waste, sometimes for as long as five years. The researchers claim that in the process they slow down their biological clock, relinquishing the normal need for sustenance and surviving in a very low energy state. This kind of suspended animation has always fascinated scientists because if it could be replicated in some form in humans. It could be induced in patients in critical conditions - such as gunshot wounds - in order to buy some extra time to operate without the brain shutting down.

Picture Source: Collected from Internet