Stats

Lifespan

8-10 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Freshwater lake

Range

Sub-Saharan Africa

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Spines

Status

Rare

About

This rock-dwelling fish lives among the crevices of Lake Malawi in East Africa. Females incubate their eggs inside their own mouths for up to three weeks without eating.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling fry

   A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Cichliformes

Family

Cichlidae

Genus

Maylandia