Bettas blow gobs and gobs of bubbles at the water line, making a "nest." Males usually make the nests but females can as well. A betta who comes across another with a bubble nest will stop and court the other one. The female lays the eggs, the male fertilizes them, and they gather up the eggs in their mouths and tuck them up into the bubbles. The eggs stick there, relatively protected. The female goes on her way, and the male stays around for the few days it takes for the eggs to hatch, guarding the nest and putting eggs back into it if any fall out. When the babies hatch he takes off, leaving them on their own.
That's all in the wild, of course. In tanks or vases, bettas just blow bubbles when they're feeling happy, secure, and healthy. Bubbles = happy betta, basically.
That's cool! And cool that he was blowing bubbles up 'til the end. :)
It's neat that the male defends the nest. My knowledge of the natural world isn't great, but I can't think of too many animals where this is instinctive.
I did once see an incredibly paternal cat. A big white fluffball named Sebastian got it on with a too-young black and white short-hair named Angel. Their caretakers didn't even know Angel was preggers until one morning she's yowling like mad and there she was munching on her placenta with a single kitten against her belly. I got to see the guy when he was only a few hours old, and stopped by repeatedly over the next days and weeks to visit. Angel was a reluctant mother at best - the only time she tolerated the kitten being around was when he was nursing. But Sebastian never let the li'l guy out of his sight. He tucked him under his paw and bathed him and, as he grew, played with him. Even when the kitten nursed, Sebastian would be watching. It was really sweet :)
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If you don't mind my asking, what is a bubble nest?
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That's all in the wild, of course. In tanks or vases, bettas just blow bubbles when they're feeling happy, secure, and healthy. Bubbles = happy betta, basically.
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It's neat that the male defends the nest. My knowledge of the natural world isn't great, but I can't think of too many animals where this is instinctive.
I did once see an incredibly paternal cat. A big white fluffball named Sebastian got it on with a too-young black and white short-hair named Angel. Their caretakers didn't even know Angel was preggers until one morning she's yowling like mad and there she was munching on her placenta with a single kitten against her belly. I got to see the guy when he was only a few hours old, and stopped by repeatedly over the next days and weeks to visit. Angel was a reluctant mother at best - the only time she tolerated the kitten being around was when he was nursing. But Sebastian never let the li'l guy out of his sight. He tucked him under his paw and bathed him and, as he grew, played with him. Even when the kitten nursed, Sebastian would be watching. It was really sweet :)
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*hug*
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*HUGS*
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