Golden hamlet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Golden hamlet |
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The golden hamlet (Hypoplectrus gummigutta) is a cool type of fish that lives in the ocean. It's a kind of sea bass and belongs to a bigger fish family called Serranidae, which also includes groupers. This fish was first described by a scientist named Felipe Poey in 1852. You can find golden hamlets in the western Atlantic Ocean, and sometimes they are even kept in home aquariums.
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What Does the Golden Hamlet Look Like?
The golden hamlet looks a lot like other hamlet fish. It has a body that is flat from side to side, a short nose, and a straight forehead. Its single top fin has 14 to 17 rays, which are like the spokes of a fan. It also has long bottom fins and a tail fin that is slightly forked, like a shallow "V".
The head, body, and fins of this fish are usually a bright golden-yellow color. On its head, you might see one or more dark spots. These spots often have a shiny blue border around them. Sometimes, the fish's back can be a grey color. The biggest golden hamlet ever recorded was about 13.2 centimeters (5.20 inches) long.
Where Do Golden Hamlets Live?
Hamlets are tropical fish, meaning they like warm waters. They are only found in the western Atlantic Ocean. You can spot them in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Brazil, and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The golden hamlet does not live in as many places as other types of hamlets. In fact, one study showed it was one of the least common hamlets in terms of how widely it is spread out. People once thought they were not in Mexico or were rare in the Dominican Republic. However, we now know they are rare in Puerto Rico and Mexico, but quite common in the Dominican Republic. Overall, they are rarely found east of the Mona Passage, which is a stretch of water between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Golden Hamlet Habitat
Hypoplectrus gummigutta are tropical fish that live around coral reefs. They are never found outside the western Atlantic Ocean. These fish tend to stay close to the ocean floor. They might hide in small cracks or holes in the reef when they are not swimming around.
While golden hamlets are similar to other hamlets in many ways, they have one key difference. They are found in deeper waters than other hamlets. Sometimes, you can find them more than 25 meters (82 feet) deep!
What Do Golden Hamlets Eat?
Golden hamlets are carnivores, which means they eat other animals. They are predators, just like other hamlets. Their diet mainly includes small fish that live on the reef and tiny ocean creatures without backbones, called invertebrates. Most of what they eat are crustaceans, such as shrimp and crabs.
Golden Hamlet Reproduction
Golden hamlets, like other hamlets, are special because they are hermaphrodites. This means that each fish has both male and female reproductive parts at the same time. They can produce both sperm and eggs.
However, they do not fertilize their own eggs. Instead, they find another golden hamlet to mate with. During mating, they take turns being the "male" and the "female." One fish will act as the female, offering its eggs to be fertilized. In return, it gets a chance to fertilize the other fish's eggs. This is called "egg-trading."
The two hamlets switch roles several times during their courtship. They release their eggs a little at a time to make sure both fish get to fertilize eggs. This mating dance can last about an hour. Hamlets usually spawn every day in the late afternoon, just before the sun sets.
Golden hamlets do not care for their young after the eggs are released. Fertilization happens outside the body, in the water. The eggs then float away and grow into tiny larvae, which are like baby fish. These larvae are planktonic, meaning they drift with the ocean currents.
Golden hamlets prefer to mate with other golden hamlets that have the same color pattern. This is called "color-assortative mating." Even though they prefer their own kind, different types of hamlets can sometimes mate and have babies. This is not very common, but it does happen. When it does, the baby fish might have a color pattern that is a mix of its parents' colors.
Scientists once thought that some other types of hamlets might have come from golden and black hamlets mating. However, there is no proof of this, and it is now thought to be very unlikely.
