In the wild Corydora are found in the shallow and murky parts of small streams, rivers, marshes and ponds primarily in South America. Due to the nature of murky waters, they tend to have very little flow and contain low levels of oxygen. As a result, the Corydora will often swim to the surface of the water, ingest some air and then re-submerge itself. Fish and catfish get their oxygen from the water with their gills. Species like the Corydora have evolved in order to gain the ability to thrive in low oxygen environments. This gives them access to food sources that most other species without these abilities do not have access to.