The Cichlid Fishes: Nature's Grand Experiment In Evolution

by George W. Barlow

Cichlid fishes are amazing creatures. In terms of sheer number of species, they are the most successful of all families of vertebrate animals, and the extent and speed with which they have evolved in some African lakes has made them the darlings of evolutionary biologists. But what truly captivates biologists like George Barlow -- not to mention thousands of aquarists the world over -- is the complexity of their social lives and their devotion to family (most species of cichlids are monogamous and many pairs share the responsibility of raising offspring). In this wonderful book, Barlow describes the unusually high intelligence of these fishes, their complex mating and parenting rituals, their bizarre feeding and fighting habits, and the unusual adaptations and explosive rate of speciation that have enabled them to proliferate and flourish. A celebration of their diversity, The Cichlid Fishes is also a marvelous exploration of how these unique animals might help resolve the age-old puzzle of how species arise and evolve.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Nature

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2002

Reviews

[Karen Witzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on the science of evolutionary biology and the amazing lake fishes of Africa. So much has been altered by humans since its publication and my own initial reading 10 to 15 years ago. This article reminded me of this today: http://e360.yale.edu/features/how-aqu...

[Dawn Stricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could have given it 3.5 stars I would have. It's extremely informative and well written but he does have some annoying cutesy writing habits that come across as, "hang in there and I will dumb this down for you". They are few and far between but it was grating every time it happened. Otherwise a fantastic exploration of evolution using one of my favorite subjects.

[Scott Kirkwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more on the research of Cichlids and evolution, not what I was expecting. Took me a while to slug through it.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sections of this book on feeding and breeding behaviors were very interesting— but the last section on evolution was a complete drag, and I’m trained as a fisheries scientist, so it’s a naturally interesting topic for me. Still, good information for the serious cichlids hobbyist in this book.

[Mary Longoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read.

[George Shagley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not care too much for the evolution parts, but being a cichlid hobbyist myself, this book was very informative. I learned many things that I may have never learned about my fish if I had not read this book. Surprisingly, the book even made me laugh a couple of times.