The male fish who eat their eggs because they want better babies

The blenny males look after the eggs - but sometimes eat them — The blenny males look after the eggs – but sometimes eat them

By Alice Klein

Raising kids is hard work. Male blenny fish sometimes eat their babies if they think they’re not worth the effort and want a better batch.

The barred-chin blenny (Rhabdoblennius nitidus), a fish found in Asia, has an unusual parenting arrangement. After females lay eggs, they leave their male partners in sole charge of caring for them until they hatch.

This arrangement usually works well. But if the female leaves only a small number of eggs – less than one thousand or so – the …