Oryzias latipes facts for kids

Oryzias latipes, also called the medaka or Japanese rice fish, is a freshwater fish that lives in small streams and waterways. Its body is grayish brown on light yellow, and it has a dark brown line on its back.

These fish usually lay eggs in spring and summer. They have very strong kidneys, so they can tolerate more salt than most freshwater fish. If they get used to it slowly, they can live in seawater.

These fish live about one year and several months.

Appearance

They are approximately 3.5 cm long. Thier dorsal and ventral fins are far in the back of their bodies.

Relationship with humans

The medaka fish spawn at about the same time of year that people put water into rice paddies, so they often live in the paddies.

Food and water

These fish eat zooplankton and the larva of mosquitoes, which live in the water.

Images for kids

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  A group in a shallow ditch, a typical habitat of the species (Katori, Japan)

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  An orange aquarium variant (himedaka) achieved through selective breeding, photographed from above. Not to be confused with the brightly-colored transgenic aquarium variants.

See also

In Spanish: Medaka común para niños