Malawi Cichlids (family Cichlidae) are small-to-mid-sized African fish. They are adoptable animals in Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game
Description[]
Cichlids are a group of ray-finned fish that represent one of the largest and most diverse of all vertebrate families. At least 1,650 species have been scientifically described, although scientists believe the actual number could be as many as 3,000. Cichlids vary greatly in size and form, ranging from as small as 2.5cm (1in) to as large as 1m (3ft), but all exhibit parental care, guarding their eggs or fry, with some species brooding their clutches in their mouths. Cichlids are most common and diverse in South America and Africa, although some are considered invasive species outside their natural range.
Lake Malawi, a lake in southeast Africa, is particularly well known for its cichlids. Home to more fish than any other freshwater lake in the world, at least 700 species of cichlid live here, nearly all of them endemic. Each species has its own distinct niche, with some feeding on zooplankton and others being hunters. Because of their diversity, cichlids of Lake Malawi and Africa's other great lakes have been important to the study of speciation, the evolutionary process where populations become distinct species in a comparatively rapid timespan.
Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game[]
Malawi cichlids are introduced with the New Shores expansion as one of several vivarium animals. They can be considered to be a freshwater equivalent to the coral reef fish, as both offer a co-species popularity bonus while also being composed of multiple species.
Gallery[]
Zoo Tycoon: The Board Game - New Shores[]
Reference images[]
Trivia[]
- Some of the fish referenced for the New Shores illustration appear to be hybrids, which are common in the aquarium trade.