Lesson plan
Utaka
, one of the utaka of Lake Malawi in Africa Utaka is a term used for multiple open water-dwelling cichlid species that are found in Lake Malawi, the most diverse source of cichlids in the world of aquaria. Among others, they comprise all the members of the genera Copadichromis and Mchenga. "Utaka" apparently occupy the opposite of the niches used by the mbuna, the more common type of Malawi cichlid that dwells among rocks along the lake's fringes and bottom. Unlike mbuna, which are generally colorful from birth, utaka tend to be very neutral in color -- mostly greys -- until they reach adulthood, because their free-swimming nature leaves them more vulnerable to predation. They are highly sexually dimorphic: the females of this informal group tend to remain bland in coloration, while the males often become spectacularly colorful, leading to common names like "peacock cichlid."
Article summary
, one of the utaka of Lake Malawi in Africa Utaka is a term used for multiple open water-dwelling cichlid species that are found in Lake Malawi, the most diverse source of cichlids in the world of aquaria. Among others, they comprise all the members of the genera Copadichromis and Mchenga. "Utaka" apparently occupy the opposite of the niches used by the mbuna, the more common type of Malawi cichlid that dwells among rocks along the lake's fringes and bottom. Unlike mbuna, which are generally colorful from birth, utaka tend to be very neutral in color -- mostly greys -- until they reach adulthood, because their free-swimming nature leaves them more vulnerable to predation. They are highly sexually dimorphic: the females of this informal group tend to remain bland in coloration, while the males often become spectacularly colorful, leading to common names like "peacock cichlid."
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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