Walking Catfish

The walking catfish solves the drought problem differently than lungfish: instead of waiting for water to return, it walks to find new water. Using its pectoral fins as primitive legs and breathing air through modified gill chambers, it can travel overland for hours, covering considerable distances between water bodies. When one pond dries, the catfish doesn't estivate—it emigrates.

This mobility-based survival strategy requires different capabilities than estivation. The walking catfish needs environmental awareness (knowing where water exists), navigation capability, and physiological tolerance of terrestrial conditions. It's an active rather than passive survival strategy—problem-solving through movement rather than waiting.

For business strategy, the walking catfish illustrates organizations that survive hostile conditions through relocation rather than endurance. Companies that shift operations between markets, move manufacturing to favorable jurisdictions, or pivot to new customer segments when original markets decline follow this pattern. The capability is mobility rather than tolerance.

The walking catfish's invasive success in Florida—where introduced fish have spread by walking between waterways—demonstrates both the power and risks of mobility strategies. Ability to relocate enables exploitation of new opportunities but can also create problems in new environments. Mobile organizations may bring competitive advantages that disrupt destination markets.