New member: Large sticklebacks eating other smaller stickleback.

[Cartman]

Hi, I've had sticklebacks in my pond now for quite a few years, only today as I was sitting watching two larger sticklebacks I noticed they were Chasing, Catching and eating the other smaller sticklebacks, I've also been blessed with tadpoles this year and as they aren't as fast or agile as the sticklebacks I've noticed they're being 'hunted' too is this normal? The large Stickleback appear to be acting territorial 'patrolling' the shallow area of my pond, I have not seen this behaviour in the deep area....
Cheers.

 

[sissy]

welcome and guessing they are hungry and easy to catch in the shallow area's

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! Sorry, I can't address your questions, but do have some for you: where is Sunderland, and what is a stickleback? And how big, what kind of a pond do you have?

I've looked them [stickleback] up before 'cause I recall another poster recently who mentioned them, but I don't remember anything about them. How big do they get and what do they normally eat? Are they carnivores, omnivores.... predators or opportunistic feeders....? What about breeding habits? Are they territorial?

Trying to get a picture of their behavioral habits. Not that this is the case, but I know that some fish (plecostomous for example) will change their eating habits as they get older/bigger. Plecos start out as aquarium "algae-eaters," but mature into "fish-eaters."

 

[Cartman]

Hi TurtleMommy, sorry for such the late reply! I've done some research and found out the following, it explains why I'm seeing the behaviour that I am from them...

The three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus,[1] is a fish native to most inland coastal waters north of 30°N. It has long been a subject of scientific study for many reasons. It shows great morphological variation throughout its range, ideal for questions about evolution and population genetics. Most populations are anadromous (they live in seawater but breed in freshwater or brackish water) and very tolerant of changes in salinity, a subject of interest to physiologists. It displays elaborate breeding behavior (defending a territory, building a nest, taking care of the eggs and fry) and it can be social (living in shoals outside the breeding season) making it a popular subject of enquiry in fish ethology and behavioral ecology. Its anti-predator adaptations, host-parasite interactions, sensory physiology, reproductive physiology and endocrinology have also been much studied. Facilitating these studies is the fact that the three-spined stickleback is easy to find in nature and easy to keep in aquaria,
they can also grow up to 4-5 inches I believe

So they must have a nest in the shallow area that's why there being all defensive!
​My pond it just as natural as I can make it, lots of over grown plants in and out of the pond, I guess it's kind of like a miniature nature reserve! Its nothing to special to look at for now but the wildlife seem to love it.

 

[Cartman]

Oh and Sunderland is in the North-east of England

 

[callingcolleen1]

Fish will eat other fish that fit in their mouth sometimes, Just their nature, and could be right about them "nesting", that would make some fish aggressive and chase other fish away too.