Australian smelt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Australian smelt |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: |
Osmeriformes
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| Family: |
Retropinnidae
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| Genus: |
Retropinna
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| Species: |
R. semoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Retropinna semoni (M. C. W. Weber, 1895)
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The Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni) is a small, silvery fish that lives in freshwater. You can find many of them in the rivers and lakes of southeastern Australia.
Contents
Where Do Australian Smelts Live?
The Australian smelt is found only in Australia. It lives in many coastal rivers and streams in the southeastern part of the country. You can find them from South Australia through Victoria and New South Wales. They also live as far north as the Fitzroy River in Queensland.
These fish are common in the Murray River and its smaller rivers. They also live in the Darling River up to Wilcannia. Some groups of smelts live separately in places like Cooper Creek, which flows into Lake Eyre. Scientists have found that Australian smelts might actually be five different types of fish.
What Does an Australian Smelt Look Like?
Australian smelts are small, silvery fish. They usually grow to about 7.5 centimeters (3 inches) long. Sometimes, they can reach 10 centimeters (4 inches). In places like Coopers Creek, they are often smaller, around 5 centimeters (2 inches).
Their backs are clear to purple-olive in color. They have a shiny silver stripe along their sides. Sometimes, you might see orange highlights on them. Their fins are usually clear or colorless.
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Where Do Australian Smelts Like to Live?
Australian smelts often swim together in very large groups. These groups can have thousands of fish! They prefer water that moves slowly or is still. You can often find them in billabongs (waterholes), dams, and lakes. They can live in water with different salt levels. They also live in the lower parts of rivers and streams.
Most Australian smelts spend their whole lives in freshwater. They like to swim near the surface of the water. They also hide around water plants and sunken wood.
What Do Australian Smelts Eat?
Australian smelts are carnivores, meaning they eat other animals. Their diet mostly includes small insects that live in the water. They also eat tiny crustaceans and other very small living things called plankton.
How Do Australian Smelts Reproduce?
Australian smelts lay their eggs in spring. This happens when the water temperature is warmer than 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). Their eggs are round and clear. They are about 0.8 to 1 millimeter wide.
The eggs sink to the bottom of the water. They stick to plants, wood, and the riverbed. A female smelt can lay between 100 and 1000 eggs. The eggs hatch after about 9 to 10 days. The baby fish, called larvae, are very tiny, only about 4.5 to 5 millimeters long.
Why Are Australian Smelts Important to Humans?
Australian smelts can be kept as aquarium pets. They are also very good at eating mosquito larvae. This makes them useful in ponds in southeastern Australia. They are especially helpful in places where frogs live.
It's best to keep Australian smelts in a tank with only other smelts. They do well when they are kept in a school (a group) of their own kind.
See Also
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2005). "Retropinna semoni" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
- Michael P. Hammer, Mark Adams, Peter J. Unmack and Keith F. Walker (2007) A rethink on Retropinna: conservation implications of new taxa and significant genetic sub-structure in Australian smelts (Pisces : Retropinnidae). Marine and Freshwater Research 58: 327–341.
