Shell wars
A female Neolampro-
logus brevis emerges
from her home—a
deserted snail shell—
while her mate stands
guard. “What rules
their behavior is terri-
torialism,” says Angel
Fitor, who has been
photographing cichlids
in Lake Tanganyika
for 20 years. To
attract a mate, male
cichlids first must have
an empty shell—a
limited commodity—
for the couple to live
in. Defending the shell
from other males then
becomes a full-time
job. Below, males fight
over a shell via mouth-
to-mouth combat.
Fighting cichlids will
lock jaws until one tires
and gives up. Cichlids
are constantly on alert;
photographing them
means spending hours
immobile in the water.
“I’ve spent entire
weeks just waiting in
front of a shell for a fish
to show up,” Fitor says.
“It borders on insanity,
I know!”THE ADAPTERS 77