Jack Dempsey (fish)
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| Jack Dempsey Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||||
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| Cichlasoma octofasciatum |
The Jack Dempsey (Cichlasoma octofasciatum) is a cichlid fish named for the 1920's boxer Jack_Dempsey. The name alludes to its aggressive nature. Like most cichlids it is territorial, especially against its own kind and similar species. The fish was once very popular due to its striking appearance and personable mannerisms. While it is a popular aquarium fish, due to its behavior it is not easy to keep.
The coloration changes as the fish matures from a light gray or tan with faint turquoise flecks to a dark purple-gray with very bright, iridescent blue, green, and gold flecks. The dorsal and anal fins of mature males have long, pointed tips. Females lack these exaggerated tips.
The fish is native to Yucatan and Central America, where it is found in slow-moving waters, such as swampy areas with warm, murky water, weedy, mud- and sand-bottomed canals, drainage ditches, and rivers. It is also established as an introduced species in Australia, the USA and Thailand (presumably as an aquarium escape). The Jack Dempsey natively lives in a tropical climate and prefers water with a 7.0 - 8.0 pH, a water hardness of 9 - 20 dGH, and a temperature range of 72 - 86 °F (22 - 30 °C). It can reach up to 25 cm (10 in) in length. It is carnivorous, eating worms, crustaceans, insects and other fish.
Jack Dempseys lay their eggs on the substrate (the bottom of the aquarium or pool). Like most cichlids, they show substantial parental care: both parents help incubate the eggs and guard the fry when they hatch. Jack Dempseys are known to be attentive parents, pre-chewing food to feed to their offspring.
In 1997 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a man had died when he put a Jack Dempsey into his mouth as a joke: the fish presumably erected its fin spines to avoid being swallowed, a characteristic cichlid anti-predator response, and became wedged in the man's throat.
External links
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
- AmericanCichlids.Com (http://www.americancichlids.com/dempsey.htm) Jack Dempsey Profile
- CichlidMadness.com (http://www.cichlidmadness.com/html/content-9.html) Jack Dempsey Cichlid Profile
Reference
- Barlow, G. W. (2000). The Cichlid fishes. Cambridge MA: Perseus. Pp 12/13 recount the choking story.
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