Guppy

Poecilia reticulata · The guppy is a small livebearing fish native to freshwater streams of northeast South America, now found almost everywhere in the world.

Also called Millionfish, Rainbow fish, Millionsfish.

Guppy
Photo: Per Harald Olsen, CC BY 3.0
Guppy
Photo: Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0
Guppy
Photo: JNF.02, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCyprinodontiformes
FamilyPoeciliidae
GenusPoecilia
SpeciesPoecilia reticulata

Where it lives

Streams of Venezuela, Trinidad, Barbados and the Guianas; introduced worldwide.

Fun facts

  • When a guppy spots a predator, its irises flash from silver to jet black, tricking the attacker into aiming for its head instead of its body.
  • After mating just once, a female guppy can store sperm for up to eight months, letting her give birth long after the male has died.
  • A single female guppy can give birth to as many as 200 fry at once, though litters typically number between 30 and 60.
  • Guppies have 23 pairs of chromosomes, the exact same number of chromosome pairs found in humans.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).