This video has everything: romance, athleticism, deception, weird gross land fish getting uh catfished, and not a little bit of robot pathos.
The mudskipper is one of several amphibious species of fish, and probably the most: It can spend three whole days out of the water. It can breathe through its skin, like an amphibian, though it does need to be wet so it prefers swampy or muddy terrain. It starts its life aquatically but as an adult typically lives in burrows in tidal flats or tide pools. Do you want more mudskipper fun facts? There are a lot of them. OK, one more: It independently evolved the ability to blink its eyes, so its blinking musculature is totally unique.
Anyway, please enjoy the clip from the upcoming "Spy in the Ocean: Deep Feelings" episode of Nature, in which a robot mudskipper sent to spy on mudskipper behavior catches the eye of a beautiful lady 'skipper looking for a fella—but then must test his leaping prowess, such as it is, against two real boys. Better luck next time.
