Blue Kurper ( Tilapia Oreochromis/Mossambica ) female protecting her offspring
Herman Nel
Published at : 22 Nov 2021
After carrying the eggs she laid and sperm she collected from the male off the nesting site for 10 days in her mouth,the newly hatched fry emerged! As soon as danger threatened ( other fish ) they would all swim back into her mouth only to come out again after a minute or two.
Amazingly the female was still able to feed during this 10 days with her mouth being "occupied" and full of eggs. She did however loose a bit of weight but still took bloodworms,mosquito larvae,earthworms,freshwater shrimp ,breadcrumbs and pieces of lettuce!
It would however not surprise me if she swallowed a few eggs or fry every now and again to keep her matbolism going...
tilapiakurpermouthbreeding