The tilapias are a group of African, freshwater herbivorous fish that care for their young. Their name is derived from an African Bushman word simply mean-ing fish. There are about 70 species, most of them native to western rivers of Africa. Their herbivorous diet, depend ing on the species, ranges from coarse vegetation, such as grasses and leaves of water weeds, to unicellular algae and bacteria. This article takes a brief look at a few species of Tilapia and its culture.