Zoogoneticus tequila facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tequila splitfin |
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The Zoogoneticus tequila, also known as the Tequila splitfin or Tequila fish, is a special type of fish. It belongs to the Goodeidae family, which are fish found in Mexico. This fish gets its name, "tequila," from the Tequila Volcano. This volcano is located near the area where the fish was first discovered.
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Where the Tequila Fish Lives
The Tequila splitfin is a unique fish that only lives in one specific area. This area is the Ameca River basin in west-central Mexico. This means it's endemic to that region, found nowhere else naturally.
Right now, these fish are only found in one small spring pool in Teuchitlán. This pool is very tiny, only about 4 meters (13 feet) wide. In this small home, there are fewer than 50 adult Tequila fish. Sadly, there are six times more introduced guppies in this pool than Tequila fish.
Before the year 2000, people thought the Tequila fish lived in rivers. But then, they couldn't find any in their original river homes. For a while, the fish was even thought to be extinct in the wild. This means it no longer existed outside of aquariums.
Other fish species brought into the area caused the Tequila fish to disappear. Also, their natural home became damaged. Pollution and taking too much water from the spring are big dangers to the few wild Tequila fish left. Luckily, some people who keep aquariums are helping to protect them by raising them.
What Does the Tequila Fish Look Like?
The Tequila splitfin is a viviparous fish. This means the mother fish gives birth to live young, instead of laying eggs. A mother Tequila fish can have up to 29 babies at once!
Male Tequila fish are smaller than females. Males grow to about 4.1 centimeters (1.6 inches) long. Females can reach up to 5.8 centimeters (2.3 inches) in length. Some females can even grow to a total length of 7 centimeters (2.8 inches).
You can also tell males and females apart by their colors. Adult males have cream-colored tips on their anal and dorsal fins. Their tail fin has a bright red-orange, orange, or yellow band shaped like a crescent moon. The rest of their tail fin is clear. Some large adult females might have this tail color too, but usually, their tail fins are clear. Both male and female fish have olive-colored bodies with mottled patterns. Young fish are lighter in color and their mottled patterns are easier to see.
What the Tequila Fish Eats
Tequila fish mostly eat tiny water creatures called zooplankton. They also enjoy eating insect larvae that live in the water, like those from midges. Sometimes, they have even been seen eating their own young, which is called cannibalism.
Who Eats the Tequila Fish?
In their natural home, some animals that might eat Tequila fish include certain types of pikes (Esox sp.) and garter snakes (Thamnophis sp.).
Many other fish species have been brought into the Tequila fish's habitat. These introduced fish might eat the Tequila fish or compete with them for food and space. Some of these include swordtails (Xiphophorus maculatus), tilapia (Tilapia aurea), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), carp (Cyprinus carpio), and guppies (Poecilia reticulata).
Conservation Status of the Tequila Fish
After some successful attempts to reintroduce the Tequila fish into the wild, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) changed its status. The species is now considered endangered. However, many still believe it is extinct in the wild.
Studies of the wild Tequila fish populations show that because there are so few of them, there is a lot of inbreeding. This means the fish are mating with close relatives. Inbreeding can make populations weaker and might be a reason why their numbers in the wild are still dropping.
