Blue shiner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue shiner |
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The blue shiner (Cyprinella caerulea) is a small, colorful fish. It belongs to the carp family. This fish lives only in the southeastern United States. You can find it in the Cahaba and Coosa River systems. These rivers are part of the larger Mobile River Basin. The blue shiner is a "threatened species." This means it is protected by the Endangered Species Act in the U.S.
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Where the Blue Shiner Lives
The blue shiner is a special fish because it is only found in the Mobile River area. This is called being "endemic" to a place. Sadly, the number of blue shiners has dropped a lot. Now, they mostly live in the Coosa River system. You can find them in four separate groups. These groups are in northeast Alabama, northwest Georgia, and southeast Tennessee.
In the Coosa River system, the fish used to live in many places. These included Choccolocco Creek, the Little River, Weogufka Creek, and Big Wills Creek in Alabama. They also lived in the Coosawattee River and the Oostanaula River in Georgia. The Conasauga River in Georgia and Tennessee was also a home for them.
We are not completely sure why their numbers have gone down. But it is likely because their homes and water got dirty or damaged. This damage comes from cities growing, pollution, and too much mud in the water. The blue shiner disappeared from the Cahaba River in Alabama. This might be because of a lot of city growth there. People are now working hard to fix these problems. If they succeed, the blue shiner might no longer be a threatened species.
Blue Shiner Biology
The blue shiner is a freshwater fish. It lives in streams and rivers. It prefers medium-sized streams. These streams have calm or slow currents. The fish likes sandy or gravelly bottoms. Sometimes, it also lives where there are small rocks. Blue shiners usually stay in water that is about 0.15 to 1 meter deep. That's about half a foot to three feet deep.
This fish needs clear water to find its food. It is a "visual drift feeder." This means it sees small bugs and other tiny creatures floating by in the water. Then it eats them. If there is too much mud in the water, the fish cannot see its food well. This makes it hard for them to eat.
How Blue Shiners Reproduce
The blue shiner's spawning (egg-laying) behavior is interesting. It is similar to other fish like C. trichroistia. A male blue shiner will find and protect a small area. Female fish then come to this area to lay their eggs. When laying eggs, the female sprays them forcefully into small cracks or spaces. The parents do not take care of the eggs or young fish.
Good water flow is important for their eggs. It helps to wash away dirt and mud. This keeps the cracks open for the eggs. Clear water is also needed for the females. They need to see the males. The males perform special dances to attract the females.
The blue shiner's spawning season starts in early May. It continues until late August. A female fish might lay eggs more than once in a season. These fish usually live for about three years. Fish that are two years old lay the most eggs.
Protecting the Blue Shiner
One of the main reasons blue shiner numbers are falling is dirty water. So, efforts to protect them focus on making the water cleaner. This means reducing building projects near rivers. It also means less dam-building and less water pollution.
Right now, the largest group of blue shiners lives in the Conasauga River. This river is a main focus for conservation work and research. Scientists estimate how many fish there are by checking different small groups. They use methods like electrofishing and netting to sample the fish.
