Shell-dwelling cichlids are known for their remarkable parental care, raising their young in abandoned snail shells.

A team at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence used 3D-printed snail shells to find out what happens inside. The young and the mother each follow individual but synchronized ...

3D-printed shell halves allowed researchers to peek inside the cichlid's home and observe the behavior of the mother and her fry during brood care.