#rift lakes

These fish can tell when you’re staring

Fish may possess the ability to perceive where another being’s attention is focused. And they don’t like when it’s focused on them or on their children

The emperor cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis) is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, Zambia and ranks among the largest members of the family Cichlidae, reaching up to 80 cm in total length. Breeding pairs are stable, with both males and females jointly defending egg broods against potential predators. In a new study, researchers examined whether the gaze of human divers directed towards the offspring guarded by parental emperor cichlids altered aggressive behaviour towards divers. Emperor cichlids attacked divers significantly more frequently when divers looked directly at the offspring than when they averted their gaze or turned their fins towards the offspring. These findings suggest that fish may possess a rudimentary form of 'attention attribution', the ability to recognise where another individual's focus lies which should be considered in ecotourism and conservation contexts.

Read the news article in Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/.../these-fish-know.../

Read the research article in Royal Society Open Science: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251919

Cycles of fusion and fission enabled rapid parallel adaptive radiations in African cichlids

Adaptive radiation produces a great deal of diversity during the process of evolution, but not all lineages radiate, and in fact, most don’t. For decades, researchers have been interested in why radiations occur and many studies have looked at this using the striking radiation of African rift lake cichlids. Meier et al. studied the radiations within Lake Victoria and confirmed that the radiation in this lake, covering many trophic guilds, occurred only 16,000 years ago. Furthermore, they found that the radiation was able to occur so rapidly because of a repeating process of hybridization and specialization.

Millions of LESSER FLAMINGO  (Phoeniconaias minor) gather at Lake Nakuru, Kenya, Africa ©brettandanna

Considered one the the Greatest Spectacles in the World, Lake Nakuru's attracts enormous flocks of flamingos. This wading species feeds primarily on Spirulina, algae which grow only in very alkaline lakes—most commonly Lake Natron (their main breeding ground), Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria in Central Kenya.

Although blue-green in colour, the algae contain the photosynthetic pigments that give the birds their pink colour.

Their deep bill is specialised for filtering tiny food items, Lesser Flamingos also feeds on shrimp.

Lesser Flamingos are prey to a variety of species, including Marabou Storks, Baboons, African Fish Eagles and Wildcats. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Black and white rhinos have also been introduced.

The lake's level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. Water levels are obviously important for wading birds to aggregate in large numbers.

Despite being the most numerous species of flamingo, the Lesser Flamingo is classified as near-threatened due to its declining population and the low number of breeding sites, some of which are threatened by human activities. 

The population in Nakuru and Bogoria, have been adversely affected in recent years by suspected heavy metal poisoning, while its primary African breeding area in Lake Natron is currently under threat by a proposed soda ash plant by Tata Chemicals.

Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Flamingo

Other images you might like:

Lesser Flamingo in Flight

Snow Geese Migration

Golden Ray Migration

Huge School of Akule or Big Eye Scad