Pregnancy (fish)

Pregnancy in fish is when a female fish carries eggs inside her body until they hatch into baby fish. Just like how a mommy grows a baby in her belly, the female fish grows the eggs in her ovaries until they are ready to be fertilized by the male fish's sperm. After the eggs are fertilized, they move from the ovaries to a special space in the female's body called the "brood chamber". The baby fish grow and develop inside the eggs while still inside the mommy fish's belly. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the species of fish. Once the baby fish are fully developed, the mommy fish will release them into the water to swim on their own. Just like how a mommy bird pushes her babies out of the nest when they are ready to fly, the mommy fish lets her babies swim away when they are strong enough to survive on their own.