Fun Empire Gudgeon Facts For Kids
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A species of Gobiiform fish, the empire gudgeon (Hypseleotris compressa) belongs to the family of the Eleotridae. These fish are primarily found in eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. The species also occurs in the coastal areas of central-western Australia.
These beautiful fishes have either yellowish-tan colored or golden-brown heads. The abdomen is whitish-red in color. The average length of the fish is 4.7 in (12 cm) and males are a bit larger than females. Males also possess colored bands on their dorsal and anal fins while the pelvic fins are colorless.
The empire gudgeon fish generally inhabit the freshwater of rivers and streams, some are also found in still and marine water. These fish could easily survive in temperatures up to 95 °F (35 °C).
These fish are omnivores and prey on crustaceans, insects, algae, and aquatic plants. Those living in aquariums consume frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, daphnia, cyclops, shrimp. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared the species Least Concern.
Keep on reading to learn more interesting facts about the empire gudgeon. If you want to know more exciting information about different animals, check out these black ghost knifefish facts and giant guitarfish facts.
Empire Gudgeon Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an empire gudgeon?
The empire gudgeon is an omnivorous fish found in eastern, western Australia, and southern New Guinea. These fish are primarily found in the lower reaches of freshwater.
What class of animal does an empire gudgeon belong to?
The empire gudgeon (Hypseleotris compressa) species belongs to the class of Actinopterygii, the Eleotridae family, and the Hypseleotris genus.
How many empire gudgeon are there in the world?
The exact population of the species is not known as of now but these fish are widely distributed in several parts of Australia and New Guinea. Also, the population of the fishes is also not at risk.
Where does an empire gudgeon live?
These fish are primarily found in eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. The species also occurs in coastal areas of central-western Australia and southern eastern state, New South Wales.
What is an empire gudgeon's habitat?
Empire gudgeon fish generally inhabit the freshwater of rivers and streams, some are also found in still and marine water. These fish could easily survive in temperatures up to 95 °F (35 °C). The species prefers to dwell in the lower reaches of rivers.
Who does empire gudgeon live with?
Generally, these fish prefer to live in groups and are often found in schools. The groups consist of more juveniles than adult fishes.
How long does an empire gudgeon live?
The average empire gudgeon lifespan is three to four years but the fish can easily live up to five years if kept in a healthy environment.
How do they reproduce?
The breeding season of the empire gudgeon (Hypseleotris compressa) generally occurs between spring and autumn as warm weather is suitable for breeding. During the breeding season, males become brighter and their body turns reddish-orange.
The empire gudgeon female lay around 3000 eggs on logs, plants, rocks, sand. Males generally guard the eggs until they hatch. The newly born fish are found in estuaries and once they attain maturity, the juveniles return to freshwater.
What is their conservation status?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has declared the species as Least Concern but due to chemicals released in the water, these fish are getting affected in a few places.
Empire Gudgeon Fun Facts
What does empire gudgeon look like?
The empire gudgeon fish has either yellowish-tan colored or golden-brown heads. The abdomen is whitish-red in color. Males also possess colored bands on their dorsal and anal fins while the pelvic fins are colorless.
How cute are they?
Australian empire gudgeon fish are very cute and adorable. One would love to see these schools or groups of tiny juveniles. Also, the male fish is also quite attractive as it turns brighter during the warmer months.
How do they communicate?
Like other species such as carp gudgeon, these fish use similar methods to communicate with each other. Fishes generally use the sense of smell and touch and during the breeding, their skin darkens.
How big is an empire gudgeon?
The empire gudgeon size is quite small and the average length of the fish is 4.7 in (12 cm). Males are a bit larger than females. These fish are twice the size of the peacock gudgeon, a species native to Papua New Guinea. These fishes are even larger than mudfish.
How fast can an empire gudgeon swim?
The exact speed of the species is not known at the moment but these fish are known for moving swiftly while catching prey.
How much does an empire gudgeon weigh?
The weight of the empire gudgeon fish is not known.
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names given to the male and female fish. People generally differentiate them by looking at their bodies; males are larger than the female fish while they also possess colored bands on their dorsal and anal fins while the pelvic fins are colorless.
What would you call a baby empire gudgeon?
People often call the baby empire gudgeon alevin. The term 'alevin' is used to refer to newly hatched babies or juveniles.
What do they eat?
Empire gudgeon fish are omnivores, in the wild freshwater they prey on crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, insects, algae, aquatic plants. Those dwelling in the aquarium, prey on frozen foods like mosquito larvae, daphnia, and cyclops.
Are they aggressive?
Unlike other fish, these fish are not aggressive. But keeping them with tiny-sized fishes in an aquarium would not be a good option.
Would they make a good pet?
The empire gudgeon fish is often regarded as a pet and people usually keep the fish in the aquarium as the species is quite easy to tame. Also, several things such as proper empire gudgeon tank size, ideal temperature, groupmates, and many more should be kept in mind.
The aquarium should be well-furnished, the temperature of the water should be between 71.6-82 °F (22-28 °C). Also, the lid of the aquarium should be strong.
The condition of brackish waters suit the species during reproduction. People also provide frozen foods to fulfill nutritional requirements.
Did you know...
The genus, Hypseleotris is also known as 'carp gudgeon'. These fish are found in the western Indian Ocean, Pacific islands, southern and eastern Asia, southern and eastern Africa.
The family of Eleotridae is divided into three subfamilies namely, the Butinae, Eleotrinae, and Milyeringinae.
More than 4,000 species of fish are found in Australia.
A study in Brisbane revealed that the empire gudgeon species also helps to control the population of mosquitos.
Is the empire gudgeon endemic?
Yes, empire gudgeon fish are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. The species are found in eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. These fish also occur in the coastal areas of central-western Australia and southern eastern state, New South Wales.
Naming empire gudgeons
The first and greatest zoologist of Australia, Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft, discovered the empire gudgeon around 1864.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these catfish facts and gulf toadfish facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable empire gudgeon coloring pages.
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