Nothobranchius furzeri is a kind of small fish that grows in a hurry. A recent study shows that it takes only 14 days from hatching to sexual maturity in the natural environment, which is the fastest known record among vertebrates.

(photo source: R. Bla trees ek)

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the fact that they grow up in such a hurry is actually the result of their adaptation to the living environment. The home of these small fish is not rivers, lakes and seas, but seasonal puddles formed during the rainy season. Naturally, these puddles formed after the rain can not last long, and some dry up in only a month. Thriving in such an environment, Freund's false gills can't waste a minute.

(if you don't reproduce quickly, there will be no water. Photo Source: M. Reichard)

before the rain, the false-Gill medaka sleeps in the dry soil in the form of stagnant embryos. Once puddles are formed, they can hatch within three days and grow rapidly. And rapid growth comes at a price: this fish ages faster than other fish (of course, it doesn't make much sense to live long in such a harsh environment. ). The fast-growing and short-lived fish are often used by scientists in aging-related research, and it takes about 18 days for them to reproduce in the laboratory. This time, the researchers surveyed false-Gill medaka living in the natural environment of southern Mozambique and found that they grew more anxiously than their counterparts in the laboratory, setting a new record for the speed from birth to sexual maturity. If we figure out the corresponding regulatory genes behind this in the future, we may be able to learn more about the aging process.

it's not easy for sashimi to race against time. ∠) _

related report: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/killifish-can-go-egg-sex-two-weeks

original paper: M. Vrtilek et al. Extremely rapid maturation of a wild African annual fish. Current Biology. Published August 6, 2018, R803. Doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.031