Sphinx blenny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sphinx blenny |
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The sphinx blenny (Aidablennius sphynx) is a small fish. It is a type of combtooth blenny, which means it has teeth that look like a comb. This fish is the only species in its group, called Aidablennius.
A scientist named Achille Valenciennes first described this fish in 1836. Later, in 1947, Gilbert Percy Whitley gave it the name Aidablennius.
You can find sphinx blennies in warm, subtropical waters. They live in the eastern Atlantic Ocean near Morocco. They also live in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
These blennies like shallow, rocky areas close to the shore. This area is called the littoral zone, where sunlight can reach. They mostly eat algae and small invertebrates (animals without backbones) that live on the seabed. Sphinx blennies can grow up to 8 centimeters (about 3 inches) long.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
When it's time to have babies, male and female sphinx blennies form pairs. The female fish can lay many eggs, sometimes up to 7,000 at once!
The male blenny then guards these eggs in a safe burrow. He watches over them carefully. Sometimes, male blennies eat dead eggs. This helps stop infections from spreading to the healthy eggs. In smaller groups of eggs, they might even eat some living eggs. Scientists think this happens because the males are stuck in the nest and can't go find food for themselves.
Scientists believe that sphinx blennies are not easily harmed. Their population can double in less than 15 months.
