Lake Malawi

Visit our window on the beautiful Lake Malawi – the ninth largest lake in the world.

Lake Malawi stretches to 700 metres deep and 412 miles long and is home to 600 species of Cichlid. These fish are not found anywhere else in the world and evolved from one or two species trapped in the lake many thousands of years ago when the lake formed.

All Malawi Cichlids are maternal mouth brooders. i.e. once the eggs are fertilised by the male there is no further bond with the female who broods the eggs and young in her mouth.

The majority of Cichlids in Lake Malawi are known only by their latin names. To simplify things, they are split into two large groups. The Mbunas live in the rocky littoral at a depth of around 5metres and tend to be very sedentary. The Non Mbunas prefer to live in the river mouths and reed covered shoreline.