Bayou darter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bayou darter |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
The Bayou darter (Etheostoma rubrum) is a special and rare type of fish that lives in fresh water. It's a small fish from the darter family, which is part of a bigger group called Percidae. This group also includes well-known fish like perches. The Bayou darter is found only in a specific area of western Mississippi in the United States. You can only find it in Bayou Pierre and the smaller streams that flow into it.
These fish like to live in fast-moving creeks and streams. They prefer areas with rocky bottoms, especially in places where the water rushes over rocks, called "riffles." They eat tiny insects and their young. Bayou darters probably breed twice a year, once in spring and again in late summer. Sadly, the number of these fish is going down. This is because their homes are being damaged by dirt washing into the water and pollution. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the Bayou darter is an "endangered" animal, meaning it's at high risk of disappearing forever.
Contents
What Does the Bayou Darter Look Like?
This little fish can grow to be about 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in) long. That's roughly the length of your pinky finger!
Where Do Bayou Darters Live?
The Bayou darter lives only in the streams and rivers that are part of the Bayou Pierre system. Bayou Pierre is a stream that flows into the big Mississippi River. You can find these darters in several smaller streams that join Bayou Pierre, like White Oak Creek, Foster Creek, and Turkey Creek.
What Kind of Home Do They Like?
Bayou darters love shallow, fast-moving parts of streams. They are often found in "riffles," which are bubbly, rocky areas where the water flows quickly. They also live in the calmer water between these riffles, as long as the bottom is firm and made of gravel. Other fish that share their home include the brighteye darter, least madtom, bluntface shiner, and redspot darter.
How Do Bayou Darters Behave?
Bayou darters usually lay their eggs from April to May, and sometimes even into August. A female darter can lay up to 75 eggs. She probably lays eggs at least twice during the breeding season. These fish live for about 3 years, with the males typically living a little longer than the females.
What Do Bayou Darters Eat?
The Bayou darter eats insects and their young, which are called larvae. Their favorite foods include caddisflies, blackflies, midges, and mayflies. They eat more food right before they are ready to lay eggs.
Why Is the Bayou Darter Endangered?
The biggest danger to the Bayou darter is that its home is being changed by people. The Bayou Pierre area is experiencing a lot of erosion, which means dirt and soil are washing away. This is especially true for "headcutting," where erosion moves upstream like a wave, cutting into the land.
How Human Activities Affect Their Home
- Changing the Waterways: Activities like digging new channels (channeling), clearing out riverbeds (dredging), and digging for materials (mining) near the river can change the darter's home.
- More Sediment: These activities cause more dirt and mud, called sediment, to wash into the water. This sediment can cover the rocky bottoms that darters need.
- Oil Exploration: Looking for oil in the area has also impacted their habitat.
- Farming and Forests: Farming and growing trees for wood (silviculture) can also harm the river. When trees and plants along the riverbanks are removed, it causes more erosion. This erosion sends more sediment into the water, destroying the rocky riffles where the darters live. It can also create new riffles elsewhere, forcing the fish to move.
- Pollution: Fertilizers and chemicals used to kill weeds (herbicides) from farms can also wash into the water, polluting it.
Because of all these problems, the IUCN has listed the Bayou darter as "Endangered." They believe that we need to keep a close eye on the fish and its habitat to protect them for the future.
