12/13/2023 0 Comments Male beta fish![]() ![]() ![]() When a female betta is ready to breed, her body will prepare eggs for fertilization and she’ll often develop what are known as ‘breeding stripes’ across her body. Sometimes the egg spot is so small that you’ll need a magnifying glass to spot it! Breeding Stripes The scientific name for this part of her anatomy is the ‘ovipositor’. This tiny spot is located between her ventral and anal fins and is the point from which she lays eggs during spawning. To compensate for their shorter body, however, females are often noticeably wider than males, especially when she’s full of eggs! Egg SpotĪ more subtle difference between male and female betta fish is the ‘egg spot’ that’s present in females but absent in males. Using the same measurement, females usually only reach around 2-2.25 inches long, making them significantly shorter. If we exclude their fins from the measurement, male betta fish typically grow to around 2.5-3 inches long. SizeĪs well as having longer fins, male betta fish also have larger bodies than females. While some captive-bred betta fish are pure white or pure black, when there is color present, males will normally be more colorful fish than females. In their native habitat, wild betta fish typically have emerald and dark red colors, but modern breeds of domesticated bettas come in every color imaginable. Colorationįor the same reasons that we discussed above, male betta fish also tend to have brighter, more striking colors than females. Since females have less need for impressing a mate or scaring off their rivals, they don’t come with the lavish fins that adorn the male. When two males meet in a contest over a territory or breeding rights, they puff out their fins to make themselves look as big and intimidating as possible.Ī betta with longer fins has a better chance of scaring off his opponent, hence the evolutionary adaptation. The iconic long, flowing fins associated with betta fish belong to the male of the species, and this is the main reason that they’re significantly more popular than females.Īs with other fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals, it’s usually the male that needs to attract and impress a mate with an elaborate appearance and impressive displays of strength and character.īut another reason that male bettas have longer fins is for sparring with other males. The scientific term to refer to these differences is ‘sexual dimorphism’. The most obvious difference between male and female betta fish is the way they look. The less showy female betta fish are rarely seen in the hobby and are only kept by specialists who wish to keep several of them together in an all-female tank or to breed from.īut what are the other differences between male and female betta fish? Come with me as I compare their appearance, and also explore how easy it is to keep each sex of betta fish. People who are new to the world of betta keeping are sometimes surprised to learn that the classic betta splendens fish with long, flowing fins are always male. ![]()
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