The Fish That Climbs Waterfalls

In the rivers of Hawaii lives a small fish called the rock-climbing goby. It is smaller than your finger. But this little fish does something amazing: it climbs waterfalls.

Katika mito ya Hawaii anaishi samaki mdogo aitwaye goby wa kupanda miamba. Ni mdogo kuliko kidole chako. Lakini samaki huyu mdogo anafanya jambo la ajabu: anapanda maporomoko ya maji.

The goby is born in the river, high in the mountains. After it hatches, the water carries the baby fish down to the sea. When it is bigger, it must return to the calm water high up the mountain. There is only one way: up. The goby holds the wet rock with its mouth, which works like a small suction cup. It also has a second sucker on its belly. Mouth, belly, mouth, belly. Centimetre by centimetre, it climbs straight up the rock behind the falling water.

Goby anazaliwa mtoni, juu milimani. Baada ya kuanguliwa, maji humbeba mtoto samaki kuelekea baharini. Anapokuwa mkubwa, lazima arudi kwenye maji tulivu juu milimani. Kuna njia moja tu: juu. Goby anashikilia mwamba wenye unyevu kwa mdomo wake, ambao unafanya kazi kama kikombe kidogo cha kunyonya. Ana pia kinyonyaji cha pili tumboni mwake. Mdomo, tumbo, mdomo, tumbo. Sentimita baada ya sentimita, anapanda moja kwa moja juu ya mwamba nyuma ya maji yanayoanguka.

Some of these waterfalls are taller than a twenty-storey building. For a fish this small, that is like a person climbing a mountain many kilometres high. The goby does not hurry. It just never stops.

Baadhi ya maporomoko haya ni marefu kuliko jengo la ghorofa ishirini. Kwa samaki mdogo namna hii, hilo ni kama mtu anayepanda mlima mrefu kwa kilomita nyingi. Goby hafanyi haraka. Yeye tu haachi kamwe.