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The zebra danio or zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) is a tropical fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae). It grows to about 6 cm, making it one of the largest of the danios, and lives for around 5 years. Like other danios it is omnivorous and gets along well with other fish in community tanks.
Zebra Danios serve as a common and useful model organism for studies of vertebrate development, because it reproduces very easily, passing from the egg to the larvae stage in less than three days. For genetic research groups, the zebrafish is an excellent test subject and has already replaced rats and mice in many labs. If researchers modify its genotype at the egg stage, they can see results on its organs barely three days later added by the transparency of the embryos.
Because of this interest it has been one of the first organisms to have its genome sequenced. The results of genetic engineering in these fishes have been used to produce the Glofish, a glow-in-the-dark aquarium pet.
Other fish also share the name zebrafish.
