(IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Caption

Rival male Mozambique tilapias (Oreochromis mossambicus) in an aquarium: The dominant male (right) defends the nest, an excavation in the sand he made with his mouth. Females are mouthbrooders, meaning they take up the eggs in their mouths, once they have been externally fertilized in the nest by the males. Oral incubation is a strategy for protecting offspring.

Credit

Olinda G. Almeida / Peter C. Hubbard, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of the Algarve, Faro, Portugal

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