Male Guppy
The males of the guppy are the individuals of the lot. There seem to be no two males colored alike, and there are few, if any, colors that do not appear in one or another of them. So beautiful are these fish that many have proclaimed them the most desirable fish to have in one's aquarium. They are timid, peaceful fish, but when a male guppy dances in front of a female, displaying his magnificently colored fins, he is a sight to behold.
The female guppy is more stereotyped and less colorful than the male, usually a dull, silvery gray-green that blends perfectly with her natural habitat. She is heavier and longer than the male, running to about one and a half inches in length, while the males, though a few larger varieties are now produced, are seldom longer than an inch.
There are many variations of the guppy, the main differences lying in the shape of the tail—some tails have two or three nodes, while others are square or fan shaped. But a guppy is a guppy, in spite of the strains that have been developed. Some people believe that those guppies with the sword-like tail came from a cross with the Xiphophorus helleri, the fish commonly called the swordtail, but since such a cross has never been shown to be possible, it is more logical to surmise that this was just a chance development of the tail. Guppies have, however, been crossed with mollies.
