YOU MIGHT NOT ASSOCIATE THE WORD passionate with fish, but they can be. The three-spined stickleback probably illustrates this as well as any, given the effort the males devote to wooing females, constructing their nests and defending their young. But I want to introduce you to a little-known cousin of the ubiquitous tiddler.
The 15-spined stickleback (Spinachia spinachia) isn't found in freshwater but in the sea, and can be encountered in rockpools all around Britain's coasts. Despite being larger than its three-spined relative (females can reach 22cm), 15-spined sticklebacks are harder to find because they spend much of their time skulking around in continuously wafting forests of wrack and the weedy fringes of pools.
This story is from the April 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of BBC Wildlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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