Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Guppy

Nov 23, 2010

The colors of different populations of guppies vary greatly depending on the number of predators.

Design

Guppies

The colors of different populations vary greatly depending on the number of predators. The fewer predators, the more colorful the guppy is. The more predators, the less colorful the guppy is. This feature is an adaptation of the guppy that occurred after the Fall.

Features

  • The female is brown in color, while the male may be almost any color with a colorful tailfin.

Fun Facts

  • The guppy is named after Robert John Lechmere Guppy of Trinidad, a naturalist and an early collector of the fish.
  • The color of the guppy varies based on environmental conditions and the number of predators.
  • This fish gives birth to live young; it does not lay eggs.
  • The female guppy may give birth to between 20 and 100 young.

CLASS: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
ORDER: Cyprinodontiformes (killifishes)
FAMILY: Poeciliidae (livebearers and topminnows)
GENUS/SPECIES: Poecilia reticulata

Size: Up to 1.5 in (4 cm); females are larger than males
Diet: Algae, mosquito larvae, crustaceans, insects
Habitat: Waters of Barbados, Trinidad, Central and South America

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