Flannelmouth sucker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flannelmouth sucker |
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| Catostomus latipinnis (central) with Pantosteus jordani above it and Catostomus griseus below. From US National Museum bulletin 47 | |
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The Catostomus latipinnis, also known as the flannelmouth sucker, is a fish found in North America. It gets its name from its big, fleshy lower lips, which look a bit like flannel! This fish is part of a group called "suckers."
Long ago, you could find them all over the Colorado River Basin. This area includes parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Arizona. Sadly, they are no longer found in the Gila River Basin in Arizona.
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What Does It Look Like?
The flannelmouth sucker has a long body. It is thick near its head and gets thinner towards its tail. Its head is quite short and thick. The lower lips are very noticeable, being bulky and fleshy.
This fish also has large fins but small scales. Flannelmouth suckers are known as benthic fish. This means they spend most of their time near the river bottom. Here, they search for food.
Young fish are usually shiny and silver all over. Adult fish are typically light gray or tan. Their underside is often a lighter color. Interestingly, adult fish in Arizona do not have bright colors. But those in the Colorado basin can be colorful. Adult fish can grow up to 26 inches long. They can also weigh about 8 pounds. It is one of the largest types of suckers!
Where Do They Live?
You can find the flannelmouth sucker in parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Arizona. In Arizona, they live in the Colorado River. They also live in its larger rivers that flow into it.
In the mid-1970s, the Arizona Game and Fish Department released these fish. They were put into the river below the Davis Dam. A group of these fish still lives there today. They are no longer found in California. However, fish from the Nevada population sometimes swim into the Californian Colorado River.
What Is Their Home Like?
Flannelmouth suckers live only in larger rivers. But their babies, called larvae, prefer shallow areas. When larvae are not eating, they like deeper water.
Adult suckers prefer places with lots of cover and shade. They like to hide during the daytime.
What Do They Eat?
Scientists have studied what flannelmouth sucker larvae eat. They looked inside their stomachs. They found that these fish eat many things. They eat tiny living things called plankton, like copepods. They also eat stringy algae and other small creatures without backbones. They even eat some non-living material from the river bottom.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The flannelmouth sucker's breeding season is from March through July. In Arizona, the fish swim upstream to lay their eggs. This is called "running" upstream to spawn. After spawning, they quickly return to the main river.
When ready to reproduce, flannelmouth suckers look for a smaller river or a shallow area. The females release their eggs onto a rocky surface. The males then release their sperm into the water. The sperm fertilizes the eggs. After being fertilized, the eggs sink to the river floor. They might also fall into cracks in the rocks.
Once the eggs hatch, the tiny larvae float along with the river current. They grow bigger as they travel. During the breeding season, the fins of both male and female fish often turn orange.
How Are They Protected?
The flannelmouth sucker is not a protected species. This means it doesn't have special legal protection. While it's not fully endangered, it faces many dangers.
These dangers include changes to their river homes. Hydroelectric dams can change the water's temperature and flow. Dams can also block the fish from migrating to their spawning grounds. Another threat is from other animals introduced to the river. These new animals might eat the suckers.
In Arizona, the Grand Canyon Protection Act of 1992 was created. This law helped reduce big changes in water release from the dam near Glen Canyon. This law is still in place today.
The flannelmouth sucker is very sensitive to water quality. It is also sensitive to the health of its environment. Because of this, the health of the flannelmouth sucker population shows how healthy its home is. The flannelmouth sucker has been chosen as an "indicator species." This means it helps us understand the condition of the Green River and the San Juan River.
