The possession of a so-called labyrinth organ, an extension of the gill plates, i.e. the bone that anchors the gills and which consists of multiple folds covered with tiny blood vessels that take oxygen from the air, allow these Climbing Perches to breathe atmospheric oxygen, akin to the slightly larger and studier Gangetic Koi (fig.).

Hence, it has the ability to survive out of water for extended periods of time, that is to say up to eight hours if kept moist, which sharply improves its marketability  as fresh fish, especially on wet markets.