Maya pupfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maya pupfish |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Cyprinodontidae |
| Genus: | Cyprinodon |
| Species: |
C. maya
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| Binomial name | |
| Cyprinodon maya Humphries & R. R. Miller, 1981
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The Maya pupfish (Cyprinodon maya), known in Spanish as cachorrito gigante, is a very special and threatened fish. It lives only in Lake Chichancanab in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This means it is an endemic species. It is one of several unique fish species found in this single lake.
About the Maya Pupfish
Most types of pupfish usually live in their own areas. But Lake Chichancanab is different. It is home to seven different kinds of pupfish, including the Maya pupfish. These different pupfish species have learned to live together. They have found different ways to use the lake's resources. This is called having different niches.
What Makes Them Special?
Pupfish usually eat things like algae and tiny bits of dead plants and animals. But the Maya pupfish is unique. It is the largest pupfish species, growing up to 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long. It is also the only one that hunts and eats other whole fish! It also eats smaller amounts of tiny crustaceans called ostracods and freshwater snails.
Why Are They in Danger?
Sadly, many of the special pupfish species in Lake Chichancanab are in trouble. Only two species, C. beltrani and C. labiosus, are still found in good numbers. The others, including the Maya pupfish, are almost gone from the wild. Some of them, like the Maya pupfish, are being kept safe in special programs.
The main reason for their decline is new fish that have been brought into the lake. These are called introduced species. The biggest problems are the Nile tilapia and a type of tetra called Astyanax fasciatus. These new fish compete for food and space. They also might eat the young pupfish.
 | Delilah Pierce |
 | Gordon Parks |
 | Augusta Savage |
 | Charles Ethan Porter |
