On The Ground in Malawi: Cichlids

More fish species than in any other lake. Worldwide.

Lake Malawi holds a world record. It has a greater number of fish species in its waters than any other lake in the world. Most of these are various species of cichlids.

Bizarre feeding habits

However, the most unusual thing about the cichlid species of Lake Malawi is not their diversity of numbers, it is what they do. These creatures have an exceptional diversity of feeding habits, many of them truly bizarre.

Many of the species are colourful. This has made them popular among aquarium hobbyists around the world. Cichlids are easy to breed in aquariums, and therefore the aquarium trade does not attempt to collect species from the wild.

However, overfishing in Lake Malawi is a serious threat to the future of the massively diverse populations of cichlids in lake Malawi.

Find out more about these fantabulous fish:

• 900 species found nowhere else
• Breeding strategies
• Changing sex
• Hunting strategies
• Algae-eaters and cleaners
• Rescuing people from parasites
• Why are there so many?
• The speciation continues...
  

With many thanks to Cichlid Press for the use of their pictures in this section.