Today I got a
Flowerhorn Cichlid. Her name (I got a female) is Gladys, and her nickname is Cuddles.
Biology Lesson!Cichlids are one of the most diverse taxonomic families (As in Kingdom Phylum Class Order
Family Genus Species) of vertebrates. They are found mainly in Central and South America and Africa, although there are some species that occur in India and Southern North America (i.e. Texas). Their outstanding diversity, bright colors, and variety of species lend them to be popular aquarium fish. The flowerhorn is a hybrid that does not occur naturally in the wild, but was bred from two cichlids that live in the waters of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Some species, especially those from Central and South America, can get to be quite large. The flowerhorn in particular will grow longer than a foot in its lifetime. They can live for up to 20 years.
There is such diversity in cichlid species that scientists are having trouble determining the relationships between all the groups. Whole genera (more than one genus) are being discovered to be totally false, but the relationships of the species within these genera are unclear.
Fascinating stuff! I'm excited to get her all big and happy