This species of fish (Opistognathus whitehurstii) is a mouthbrooder. More simply, grow eggs in your mouth. Eggs usually stay in the mouth for 8-10 days. When the egg is not in the mouth, the fish can dig a hole in it, ingest sand and spit it out to create a tunnel.
Can fish spit eggs?
This is relatively rare, but is found in the cichlid genus Xenotilapia and the single catfish, the Spatula Babur catfish (Phyllonemus typus). Usually, after courting, males fertilize eggs, collect them in their mouths, and hug them until they hatch.
Do fish carry babies in their mouths?
Some groups of fish use a breeding strategy called the mouthbrooder. The mouse breeder carries the eggs and later the pups to the mouth. This allows adults to protect their eggs. Usually, you will find that fish are mouthbrooders in several ways.
Is it a tilapia mouthbrooder?
Tilapia fish (Oreochromis spp) are single-parent mouthbrooders, and females usually hatch newly fertilized eggs and larvae until the yolk sac of the larva is completely absorbed. [5] ..
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