Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about bettas. Technically there are many betta species - there’s even an entire genus called Betta, but today we’re going to focus on a specific species from that genus. These fish are commonly known as betta fish or bay-tuh fish, but they may also be known as Siamese fighting fish because they were originally bred for fighting purposes. Today this practice is frowned upon, and bettas are simply kept for their beautiful appearances, though the selective breeding for these splendid colors and fin shapes began more than 150 years ago during their fighting days.

Bettas are well known thanks to their ubiquity as pets, but they don’t all look like little swimming jewels. In the wild, bettas appear brown or grey. Male wild bettas may have slight colors, but overall they are nowhere near as saturated as domestic bettas. They also don’t have those fancy fins. Long, flowing fins are selectively bred in domestic betta fish, while wild betta fish have shorter fins. Females bettas in general are less fancy than males, but they do develop vertical banding to indicate when they are ready to mate. The females are also smaller than the males, but on average bettas measure three inches (7.5 centimeters) in length, though longer tails, especially in domestic bettas, can make them appear larger.

Wild bettas live in southeast Asia. They inhabit vegetated, slow moving to stagnant water systems like rice paddies and even small pools in which their delicate bubble nests can’t be disturbed - we’ll be explaining these shortly. Betta fish have a labyrinth organ which allows them to take in oxygen directly from the air, so they can survive in water with low oxygen levels. In fact, during dry spells, as long as there’s mud left at the bottom of a body of water and it doesn’t completely dry out, these fish can live until rains refill the pool. They can also jump between pools of water!

In the wild, male bettas fight one another over females. They’ll commonly “flare” their gills in order to appear larger. Males will also fight to defend their nests. In the betta world, the dads do all the childrearing. Before mating, a male will build a bubble nest by gulping air from the surface of the water and blowing it out in sticky, mucus covered bubbles. This process can take hours! Once he’s finished, he’s ready to find his girl. Betta fish nudge each other and swim in circles around one another before mating. As the female releases fertilized eggs, the male will gently gather them in his mouth and push them into the bubble nest. The eggs will otherwise sink and sometimes the female helps collect them. More than 100 eggs may be laid during this process. Within 72 hours, the eggs will hatch and the babies will begin to venture out, but if the male senses danger he’ll make waves on the surface of the water with his fins. The young bettas will swim to him and the male will scoop them up in his mouth to carry them to the safety of the nest until the danger passes. Predators to betta fish include larger fish, birds, small mammals, and more. Bettas are also threatened by habitat loss. As common as these fish may bet in pet stores, in the wild they are considered vulnerable to extinction. If they can avoid predators, betta fish may live to be three years old.

These fish eat insects that have fallen into the water and plant material such as algae. They’re mouths are turned upwards, so they tend to eat from the surface of the water.

For more facts on bettas check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.