Marine life is fascinating, and mating is part of the natural reproduction process of fish. However it is a different, diverse and very interesting process that is done externally or internally, usually with eggs, although not always.
If you find marine life fascinating, you surely want to know how fish reproduce, so at oneHOWTO we explain this process in addition to giving you some other fun facts to nourish your brain and so you know more about these creatures of the sea.
According to typology
Fish can reproduce in many ways, they can be oviparous, viviparous or ovoviviparous, this means they can give birth through eggs or even to already developed fish.
Fish mate extensively, and although there are male and female fishes, they are not easily distinguishable because they have no external organ identifying them. There are many factors that influence the reproductive cycle of fish such as food, light, seasonal temperatures, etc. Studies show that the higher the temperature, the shorter the incubation period.
- If they are oviparous, eggs sail through the water alongside the male sperm. Some have a higher density and go down to the sea floor, while others float in the water. In any case, they can protect their eggs in bubbles until they hatch and some may even keep them in their mouths.
- The viviparous fish give birth to fully formed offspring, so the incubation process takes place internally in approximately 400 species of fish.
- The ovoviviparous fish are similar to the viviparous ones, but fertilization happens internally from the male gonopodium, which inserts the eggs into the female. The sexes are easily identifiable because the female is larger, while the male has brighter colors. An interesting fact is that the ovoviviparous female after first laying an egg, does not need the male to fertilize them the second time, since some sperm is left from the previous time.
Hermaphrodite fish
Although there are male or female fish, some fish can also be hermaphrodites. These fish are very interesting, especially when they live in aquariums or ponds, because they do not need a fixed sex because they can alternate between male or female when mating. This is called simultaneous hermaphroditism.
Another type of hermaphroditism in when they are male fish during the first stage of their life and then become females, this is called proteandry and it is very common in bass.
When the fish is a female in its early life and then changes to male, it is called protogenic hermaphroditism.
Fish migrations
Some fish undertake a migratory adventure for the reproductive process; this can be done alone or in pairs, many or few kilometers away and is a ritual that can take several steps to spawn. This type of ritual is common in grouper and snapper fish. For this species, they seek the ideal place for mating year after year.
When these fish are in an aquarium, it is important to create the right conditions for them to grow up healthy, and to identify whether any of the specimen are pregnant.
If you want to read similar articles to How Do Fish Reproduce, we recommend you visit our Pets category.