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Lake Malawi Cichlids | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Lake Malawi Cichlids

ActinopterygiiRocky shores, sandy shallows and open water of a deep African rift lake

Field profile

Lake Malawi holds one of the largest species flocks known, several hundred to around a thousand cichlid species, most found nowhere else. They range from algae-scraping rock dwellers to sand-sifters and open-water predators.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-12-02

Lake Malawi Cichlids

Lake Malawi grew hundreds of fish species fast

Lake Malawi contains several hundred cichlid species, the great majority found nowhere else on Earth. Genetic evidence indicates that this entire flock descends from a small founding stock within roughly the past one to two million years.

Read with evidence →