Bonytail chub facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bonytail chub |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Gila
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| Species: |
elegans
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The bonytail chub or bonytail (Gila elegans) is a type of freshwater fish. It used to live in the Colorado River basin across many states in the southwestern United States. These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. It has completely disappeared from the part of the basin in Mexico.
This fish was once very common. But its numbers have dropped a lot. It has been listed as an endangered species since the 1980s. The bonytail chub is now the rarest of the big-river fish that are unique to the Colorado River. Other unique fish like the Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, and razorback sucker also face similar problems. There are 20 species in the Gila family, and seven of them live in Arizona.
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What Does a Bonytail Chub Look Like?
A bonytail chub can grow up to about 62 centimeters (2 feet) long. Like many fish that live in the desert, its back is usually darker than its belly. This helps it blend in with its surroundings, like camouflage. When males are ready to breed, the bases of their fins turn red.
These fish have a smooth, streamlined body. Their mouth is at the very front of their head. Adult bonytail chubs sometimes have a smooth hump on their back, just before the dorsal fin. Their head is quite curved inward. Their tail section, called the caudal peduncle, is very thin, almost like a pencil. This is why it's called "bonytail."
The color of bonytail chubs is usually dark on top and lighter underneath. But in very clear water, they can look almost completely black. During breeding season, males and females have different colors. Mature males get bright red-orange stripes along their sides, between their paired fins. Females have more muted colors during this time.
Where Do Bonytail Chubs Live and How Are They Doing?
The bonytail chub used to be found throughout the Colorado River basin. This included many U.S. states and even parts of Mexico. However, it has now completely disappeared from Mexico. This fish species saw the fastest decline of any long-living fish in the main parts of the Colorado River system.
Today, no wild groups of bonytail chubs can survive on their own. They are considered "functionally extinct." This means their survival depends on fish raised in hatcheries. Several hatcheries keep this species alive. Bonytail chubs were among the first fish to show the big changes in the Colorado River basin after the Hoover Dam was built. The fish disappeared from the lower part of the basin between 1926 and 1950.
You might still find them in the Green River in Utah. They might also be in larger parts of the Colorado River. The bonytail chub was added to the U.S. list of endangered species on April 23, 1980. The IUCN first listed it as Endangered in 1986. In 2013, its IUCN status was changed to Critically Endangered, which means it's in even greater danger.
There are some disagreements about bringing the bonytail chub back. Some people worry about how much water is needed to increase river flows for the fish's habitat. Fishermen who like to catch bass are concerned about removing smallmouth bass to help the bonytail chub. There are also fears about spreading the quagga mussel. This is an invasive species that can clog water pipes. Because of this, bringing bonytail chubs back to Arizona has been paused. This will continue until a safe plan for stocking the fish is approved by Arizona wildlife officials.
What Kind of Habitat Do They Like?
Bonytail chubs prefer calm backwaters with rocky or muddy bottoms. They also like flowing pools. Even though they prefer these calmer areas, they have sometimes been seen in fast-moving water. Historically, they were common in the wide, downstream parts of rivers. Today, they are mostly found in rocky canyons.
What Do Bonytail Chubs Eat?
Young bonytail chubs usually eat aquatic plants. Adult bonytail chubs mostly eat small fish, algae, bits of plants, and insects that fall into the water.
These fish can live for a very long time, sometimes up to 50 years!
How Do Bonytail Chubs Reproduce?
Not much is known about how bonytail chubs reproduce. Scientists think they lay eggs in mid-summer. They might also mix with roundtail and humpback chubs. In Lake Mohave, spawning has been seen in May. In the upper Green River, it happens in June and July. The eggs are laid randomly on the bottom, and the parents do not care for them.
How Are Bonytail Chubs Being Protected?
The number of bonytail chubs is small and keeps getting smaller. The main reasons for this decline are changes to their habitat caused by dams. Also, other fish that are not native to the area compete with them for food and sometimes eat them.
A plan to help the bonytail chub recover was created in 1990 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This plan included protecting the bonytail chub's habitats. It also involved releasing fish raised in hatcheries back into the wild.
The Bonytail Chub Recovery Plan was approved on September 4, 1990. Today, there are special safe places, called refugia, for the bonytail chub. These include the Dexter National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico, the Arizona Game and Fish Page Springs Hatchery, the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge in Utah, the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona, and the Niland Native Fish Ponds in California.
Images for kids
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A bonytail chub swimming.
See also
In Spanish: Carpa elegante para niños
