I'm a tropical fish that is considered to be one of the most distributed fish in the world. I have a beautiful tail. I'm so famous that my species is now available in almost every content, except Antartica. Can you guess what I am?
Guppy fish!
Congratulations for answering the question correctly. But that's not the main reason why you are here, right?
You come to this page to know the seven interesting facts about guppy fish that you might not know or did not know at all. Let's start with number 10.
Had its scientific name changed twice (2x)
By Per Harald Olsen - Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link
Naming a new animal has not been an easy task. Discoverers often called their newly found animals after their name. And on some occasions, scientific names can change.
The guppies were first cited back in 1859. Back then, they name of "Guppy" didn't exist yet, its original name was Poecilia reticulata.
And in 1861, Albert Günther hatched a new name for the fish, this time, it's called Girardinus guppii, which was chosen to honor Robert John Lechmere Guppy. Robert was the first person who sent the guppy fish specimens to the Natural History in London.
Guppy fish is a member of the famous Poeciliidae family
Have you ever wondered why you have never seen your guppy fish's eggs?
The answer is.. they don't lay eggs (outside).
The Poeciliidae family is also known as livebearers. Meaning that they keep their eggs inside their bodies until they hatch.
Some of the famous "siblings" of guppy fish are platies, mosquito fish, and mollies.
Fish of Continents
If you ask, can I get guppy fish in my country? The answer is always yes.
Aquarists have introduced the fish in many countries from all continents except Antarctica. Unless if you live in Antarctica, you should not find any difficulty to buy a guppy fish.
Battles Malaria
Malaria is one of the deadliest viruses in the world; everyone knows that. And we also know that mosquitos are their number #1 "vehicle" to infect other animals and humans.
The question is, we can we help to do to stop the spread?
Easy.. Guppy fish is the answer.
This beautiful fish is also known to love eating mosquito larvae, and this is good news. And even better news is they have a negative impact on the existing fish populations who live in the same water body. Extraordinary!
Orange spots: an important aspect of all males
Ever wonder how female guppy fish choose which males to mate?
As the section's title may suggest. Orange spots play a significant role.
Male guppies with bright colors and orange spots that you can find on their body sides are the ones that usually attract the females the most.
So keep in mind when you are buying some guppy fish. Make sure to buy male with orange spots on their flanks, unless if you don't want your fish to reproduce.
Dares to approach predators
Unlike any other fish that hide when predators are around. Guppy fish approach them instead. Sounds crazy right? But that's what they do, they "inspect" the predator to gain more information, and this behavior is famously known as "predator inspection."
But of course, they are not going frontal. Guppy fish will always try to avoid the mouth of the predators they are approaching, they always target the side or back.
Can withstand seawater
Do you know that guppy fish is often found in marine tanks as well?
Guppies are known to be able to survive in water with water of salinity water up to 150% of seawater. So yeah, next time don't be shocked to find your beautiful guppies to swim alongside marine fish.
Have one or two additional guppies interesting facts? Why not share it with us. Leave them as a comment below, and I'll be glad to add them to the list.