Why are zebrafish a good choice for high school science labs?

Zebrafish are: (1) inexpensive (2) hardy, tolerating a reasonable amount of stress from fluctating classroom temperatures, lighting that is on Monday through Friday and dark Saturday and Sunday (3) small enough to easily raise in inexpensive aquariums (school budgets are always small!) (4) produce enough eggs that biology students all get some to examine (5) examination of fish eggs pose no ethical problems (obviously this cannot be said of other vertebrate embryos) (6) fish embryo development is similar to other species, so it provides a basis for comparative embryological studies and a spring board to discussion of evolution, if desired (7) zebrafish projects are easily student-managed, thus saving the teacher's time, and generating many creative science research projects from the students (8) egg production can be stimulated by controlling the periods of darkness (simply cover the aquarium). Students enjoy watching these flashy little fish! ... more