Three-Spined Stickleback
As the name suggests, the three-spined stickleback typically has three (there can also be two to five) single, movable spines on its back; the pelvic fins are also equipped with a strong spine. It prefers plant-rich, sunny bays of still waters and slow-flowing meadow streams. At the beginning of the spawning season, the male builds a nest of plant fibres at the bottom of the water, which are solidified by a sticky secretion from the kidney. It then forces a female into the nest to lay eggs. The clutch and the hatching brood are guarded and cared for by the male. Scientists have discovered that males are equipped with a larger brain than females as a result.
- The male fights fiercely with his rivals for the female, in order to lure her into his lavishly prepared burrow – a complicated nest ball covered in sticky kidney secretions – and encourage her to lay her eggs. After the work is done, she is immediately driven away; the male wants the female to leave the nest again. Caring for the brood among sticklebacks is strictly a man’s job!
Scientific Name
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Age
- up to 3 years
Nutrition
- Small invertebrates
- Newly hatched fish
Adversaries
- Dragonfly larvae
Weight
- up to 28 g
6 – 8 cm
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