The zebrafish – Danio rerio – is a tropical freshwater fish originally found in Eastern India's Ganges River and native to the southeastern Himalayan region.
The vertebrate takes its name from the horizontal blue stripes running the length of its body. Males are generally slender with a gold-tinted underbelly, while females are rounder and with a silver-tinted underbelly.
In captivity, zebrafish can live over 5 years, however generally they live for 2 to 3 years, and grow up to about 65 mm long.
They are an omnivore, feeding on the small organisms found in the slow-moving waterways where they favour living.
Find out more about the natural history of zebrafish ecology and evolution
