Biology
Parental Investment Strategies in Mouthbrooding Cichlids
Quick fact
Mouthbrooding cichlids can starve for weeks while holding their young, because they cannot eat during this time. The young even eat their mother's mucus as a source of nutrition.
Why this is interesting
In the murky waters of African lakes, some cichlid fish perform an incredible act: they use their mouths as living nurseries, keeping their young safe from predators. But what does this heroic parenting cost them?