We started a discussion with the zebrafish. @thikan from Chaitanya College, Pamgarh talked on the above seen fish which she brought from aquarium, as per the aquarium man this fish is zebrafish and @thikan believed that it is zebrafish. So, How do we convince people in science? @thikan. On what basis we can say that this is zebrafish? In science, evidence for all our claims are crucial to convice the audience. according to @thikan this is zebrafish but when she searched on the google lens she found that this fish is Convict cichlid (Amatitlania nigrofasciata).
so how can we identify any fish? what are the characteristics for identification?
we tried to distinguish between the male fish and female fish with respect to its Fins
@sakshiconsultant2002 was still confused and not convinced whether it is zebrafish or not and tried to name the schematic i.e the dorsal, ventral and the anterior and the posterior part of the fish.
Further in this discussion I tried to convince @sakshiconsultant2002 @Theertha @thikan @Arunan and clarified the ways to identify zebrafish.
According to me this is not a zebrafish since it does not have any identical characteristics and features that are unique to this species.
Here’s how you can identify a zebrafish:
- Body Shape and Size:
- Zebrafish are small fish, usually ranging from 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) in length.
- They have an elongated, streamlined body shape with a slightly flattened side profile.
- Coloration and Patterns:
- Wild-type zebrafish have distinct blue-black horizontal stripes that alternate with golden or silver bands along their bodies.
- However, due to selective breeding, zebrafish are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns, including albino, gold, and leopard patterns. Some strains may even lack stripes entirely.
- Fins:
- Zebrafish have two dorsal fins (top fins) and one anal fin (underside fin) located near the tail.
- Their fins are generally translucent, but they might have some coloration or patterning.
- Eyes and Mouth:
- Zebrafish have relatively large eyes positioned on the sides of their heads.
- Their mouths are small and slightly upturned.
- Behavior:
- Zebrafish are known for their energetic and active behavior.
- They swim in a darting motion, moving quickly and changing direction frequently.
- Zebrafish often exhibit schooling behavior, forming groups and swimming together in coordinated patterns.
- Habitat:
- Zebrafish are native to freshwater habitats in South Asia, particularly slow-moving or stagnant waters like rice paddies, ponds, and ditches.
- In aquariums or laboratory settings, zebrafish are typically kept in clean, well-maintained freshwater tanks.
The zebrafish – Danio rerio – is a tropical freshwater fish originally found in Eastern India’s Ganges River and native to the southeastern Himalayan region. The vertebrate takes its name from the horizontal blue stripes running the length of its body.
@Himanshu @sakshiconsultant2002 @thikan and others had a TINKE moment here where they came to know that the zebrafish is an Indian model system.
George Streisinger pioneered his research using zebrafish (Danio rerio), at the University of Oregon in 1972, the zebrafish not only has become a unique animal model in basic research, due to its fine embryonic and (molecular) genetics technique/tool developed globally.
How do we connect zebrafish to humans?