Spawning circles
 

If you want to observe something that is really outstanding, go over to Lake Sumter Landing and walk on the boardwalk. Look in the water and you will see cone shaped circles on the bottom of the lake. These are the spawning nests for the tilapia. You will also see one large tilapia in the middle of each nest. They build the cones by swishing the sand out and also by taking mouthfuls of sand and spitting it out on the edge of the cone.

You can also see hundreds of these cones, too, in Lake Sumter as you are in your golf cart just before you get to the Morse Bridge area.

Very facinating to watch. Sorry, no fishing allowed in Lake Sumter!

I'll have to take a look! Thank you...and I didn't realize that tilapia were swimming in the lake...learned something else today... :)

Thank you so very much for posting this! We saw them last week and were trying to figure out what they were and why there was "ONE" fish in each! Thanks for clearing it up! Now... I want to go back and look at it again!

They also seem to be very territorial. When one leaves their nest and swims near another, they are ushered away by the neighboring resident.
I've also watched them taking mouthfuls of sand from the bottom of the nest and depositing it on the edge of the nest as you mentioned. It's amazing...I stood there for an hour watching their routine.

Wow,,, I'll have to go look. Guess I'll have to venture out in the daylight :22yikes: otherwise I won't be able to see them after dark, huh. :icon_wink:

Pooh. They aren't TalaPia, they are Talaia. There are no P's in Lake Sumter.

Do not P
 

Very Cool Post Gracie! That could go in the cheap fun entertainment section. How observant of you.

LOL - I remember the first time you corrected me and told me not to P in Lake Sumter. Or was that there is no P in Lake Sumter?

Hmmm

???

o i c