21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Brooding Cardinalfish

This photo shows a Banggai cardinalfish brooding eggs in its mouth. When these cardinalfish reproduce, the female releases eggs into the water, which the male fertilizes and then sucks into his mouth, where he incubates them for about a month.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 12.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Indonesia
Camera: NIKON D850
Copyright: © Kat Zhou