Three-spined sticklebacks playing by Ian Davis 1/2
Three-spined stickleback by Dave Horsley 2/2

Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Sticklebacks have very good parenting skills with the male guarding the eggs until they hatch. Sticklebacks living in the sea are migratory whereas those that live in freshwater tend to stay in the same area for life.

Conservation status

Not threatened, but this species is thought to have declined in recent decades. Probably still widespread in Norfolk but more information is needed on distribution and numbers.

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Did you know?

Unlike most fish, sticklebacks have very good parenting skills. The male builds a nest from aquatic plants or seaweed. The female lays her eggs in the nest where the male will guard them until they hatch. He uses his fins to fan the eggs to provide them with oxygen.

Sticklebacks living in the sea are migratory whereas those that live in freshwater tend to stay in the same area for life.
An old Norfolk name for sticklebacks is 'stannickles'.
 

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