Lake Tanganyika lies in the Albertine Rift of East-Central Africa, shared among Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Zambia, stretching about 676 kilometers north to south and plunging past 1,470 meters, the world's second deepest lake. It holds roughly sixteen percent of all the fresh water on Earth's surface, more volume than any other lake but Baikal, and its deep waters are alkaline and permanently oxygen free below a few hundred meters. Nearly 250 cichlid fish species live in the lake, about 98 percent of them found nowhere else, one of the most extensive examples of adaptive radiation known in vertebrates.
Facts
Classification
Biogeographic Realm Area (sq km) Connections
Demonstrates
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Seasonal wind driven upwelling brings nutrient rich deep water to the surface of Lake Tanganyika, sustaining the fisheries that shoreline communities depend on.
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Hosts
Source Goliath Tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath) (Wikipedia)
Source Neolamprologus brichardi (Wikipedia)
Source Redbreast tilapia (Wikipedia)
Source Synodontis petricola (Wikipedia)
Source Tanganyika Killifish (Wikipedia)
Source Tanganyika lates (Wikipedia)
Source Tropheus moorii (Wikipedia)
In Biome
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Lake Tanganyika
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Lake Tanganyika ( TANG-gən-YEE-kə, -gan-; Kirundi: Ikiyaga ca Tanganyika) is an African Great Lake.
2. Lake Tanganyika (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, first paragraph, lake surface area figureQuote, Lead section, first paragraph, lake surface area figure
The lake covers 32,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi), with a shoreline of 1,900 km (1,200 mi), a mean depth of 572 m (1,877 ft) and a maximum depth of 1,471 m (4,826 ft) (in the northern basin).
World Wildlife Fund
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.- Demonstrates: Adaptive Radiation
- Demonstrates: Upwelling
View the Source Goliath Tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath) (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Goliath Tigerfish (Hydrocynus goliath), Wikipedia intro: "frican predatory freshwater fish in the family Alestidae. It is native to the Congo River Basin and Lake Tanganyika in Africa."View the Source Neolamprologus brichardi (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Neolamprologus brichardi, Wikipedia intro: "Neolamprologus brichardi is a species of cichlid endemic to the alkaline waters of Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. It is a popular aquarium fish kept in the fis..."View the Source Tropheus moorii (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Tropheus moorii, Wikipedia intro: "Tropheus moorii, the blunthead cichlid, is a species of cichlid endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa. Over 40 different color morphs of this species are dispers..."View the Source Tanganyika lates (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Tanganyika lates, Wikipedia intro: "The Tanganyika lates (Lates angustifrons)is a species of lates perch endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It is a widespread predator on other fishes. This species can r..."View the Source Tanganyika Killifish (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Tanganyika Killifish, Wikipedia intro: "The Tanganyika killifish (Lamprichthys tanganicanus) is a species of procatopodid endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it forms large schools, mainly close to rock..."View the Source Synodontis petricola (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Synodontis petricola, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 402044, target E303050Quote, Hosts: Synodontis petricola, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 402044, target E303050
Synodontis petricola, sometimes known as the pygmy leopard catfish, is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Burundi, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika.
Redbreast tilapia (Wikipedia)
Hosts: Redbreast tilapia, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Redbreast tilapia, Distribution
The species is found in the drainage basins of the upper Congo River and the Kasai River, in Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, Zambezi River, and the coastal regions of the Zambezi outlet to KwaZulu-Natal, as well as in the Limpopo River, the Okavango River, and the Cunene River.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.