Blacktail redhorse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blacktail redhorse |
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The blacktail redhorse (Moxostoma poecilurum) is a cool type of ray-finned fish that lives in fresh water. It's part of a group of fish called Moxostoma. You can find this fish in many rivers and streams across North America. It lives in places connected to the Mississippi River, from southern Kentucky all the way down to Galveston Bay in Texas.
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About the Blacktail Redhorse
The blacktail redhorse has a long, tube-shaped body, much like other fish in the Moxostoma family. Its top half shines with colors from gold to bronze, sometimes with a silver-green shimmer. The bottom half of its body is a silver-yellow or white.
Its tail fin, called the caudal fin, and its lower fins are red. The tail fin is special because it has a black stripe on its lower half. This lower part of the tail is usually bigger than the upper part. The fin on its back, called the dorsal fin, often has a curved-in shape. This fin is grayish on the bottom and more red on the top.
This fish usually has about 41 to 44 scales along its side. It also has 12 to 13 rays in its dorsal fin. The blacktail redhorse can grow up to 51 centimeters (20 inches) long. However, most of them are usually between 25 cm (10 inches) and 41 cm (16 inches) long.
Where They Live
The blacktail redhorse lives in many rivers that flow into the Mississippi River. You can find them from southern Kentucky down to southern Arkansas and Louisiana. They also live in rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. These rivers stretch from the Choctawhatchee River in Alabama and Florida to Galveston Bay in Texas. This fish is native only to the southeastern United States. Luckily, their numbers haven't dropped much, and they still live in all their usual spots.
Blacktail Redhorse Habitat
The blacktail redhorse is a freshwater fish that lives near the bottom of the water. They prefer cool waters and are often found in streams and rivers. They like areas with sand and rocks, especially in pools, fast-moving water, and shallow, rocky sections.
Because they can adapt well, you might also find them in reservoirs, swamps, and even the Mobile Delta. They usually live where the water moves fast or is still, over sand, silt, rocks, or gravel. They also like areas with water plants.
What They Eat
This fish eats food from the bottom of the river. Their diet is quite varied. They eat things like detritus (tiny bits of dead plants and animals) and tiny plant-like organisms called diatoms. They also enjoy many small invertebrates. These include tiny crustaceans, rotifers, and the larvae of many insects.
One study found that their diet mostly included chironomid larvae (a type of fly larva) and heptageniid larvae (a type of mayfly larva). Since the blacktail redhorse is not very big, it's often eaten by birds and other animals that hunt in the water.
Life Cycle
Blacktail redhorse fish lay their eggs in rocky areas of small streams. This happens from late April to early May. The water temperature needs to be around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).
They have a special way of spawning. Two or three males will swim around one female, laying eggs and fertilizing them in short bursts. The eggs sink to the bottom and are not sticky. The baby fish hatch about 6 to 8 days after the eggs are fertilized. About 6 days after hatching, the tiny fish swim up from the bottom into the water.
Female blacktail redhorse fish are ready to lay eggs when they are about 3 years old. On average, a female can lay about 17,000 eggs at one time. These fish can live for up to 10 years. During the colder months, adult fish often move downstream to deeper water.
Blacktail Redhorse and People
In Kentucky, the blacktail redhorse is currently listed as a threatened species. This is mainly because their river homes are getting damaged. Things like siltation (when dirt and mud build up) and cloudy water make it hard for them to live.
Most of the problems for these fish come from human activities. For example, farming, building roads, cities growing, and quarrying (digging for stone) all cause more silt and cloudy water. These activities also create barriers that stop the fish from moving freely. This can make it hard for them to reproduce and stay healthy.
However, there are good things happening too! Places like Big Thicket Biosphere Reserve in Texas and Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Alabama are protected areas. These places help keep the blacktail redhorse safe and provide good homes for them.
The world record for catching a blacktail redhorse was set in 2005. A fish weighing 1 pound 8 ounces was caught in the Tallapoosa River in Alabama.
See also
In Spanish: Moxostoma poecilurum para niños
