Singida tilapia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Singida tilapia |
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The Singida tilapia, also known as Graham's tilapia, is a special type of cichlid fish. Its scientific name is Oreochromis esculentus. This fish is found only in the Lake Victoria area, including nearby lakes like Lake Kyoga in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. When a species is found only in one specific area, it is called endemic.
The name "Singida tilapia" comes from Lake Singida. However, this fish was actually moved there in the 1950s. Local fishermen really like this fish. They call it ngege.
In 1927 and 1928, a scientist named Michael Graham studied the fish in Lake Victoria. He wrote that the ngege was the most important food fish. He said it tasted great and was easy to trade. Graham also noticed that new fishing nets were causing the number of ngege to go down.
The Singida tilapia has also been moved to the Pangani River basin. When a species is moved to a new place, it is called an introduced species. In the Pangani River, the Singida tilapia can cause problems for a native fish called O. jipe.
About the Singida Tilapia
This fish can grow up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) long. However, it usually stays smaller, around 30 centimeters (about 12 inches).
Protecting the Singida Tilapia
The Singida tilapia faces several big challenges. One problem is the Nile perch, a large fish that eats other fish. The Nile perch was introduced to Lake Victoria and has eaten many Singida tilapia.
Another challenge comes from the Nile tilapia. This fish is very good at competing for food and space. It often outcompetes the Singida tilapia. Because of these introduced species, the number of Singida tilapia in Lake Victoria has dropped a lot. Over the last 20 years, their population has gone down by more than 80%.
Also, people are fishing for Singida tilapia a lot. This heavy fishing pressure adds to the problem. Because of all these threats, the Singida tilapia is now considered "near threatened." This means it could become endangered if things do not change.
