Colorado River cutthroat trout facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colorado River cutthroat trout |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Oncorhynchus |
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O. c. pleuriticus
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| Trinomial name | |
| Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus (Cope, 1872)
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The Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus) is a special kind of cutthroat trout. It lives only in the Green and Colorado River basins. These areas are located west of the Continental Divide, which is a line of mountains that separates rivers flowing to different oceans. Other types of cutthroat trout live in different river basins.
Where These Trout Live
In the past, these trout were found all over the Colorado River area. This included parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. However, today, scientists believe this fish lives in only about 13% of its original home. This means their population has shrunk a lot.
Colorado River cutthroat trout used to live in the upper Muddy Creek basin. This creek flows into the Little Snake River, which then joins the Colorado River. People from long ago called them "mountain trout" or "speckled trout" in their letters and diaries. These fish might have started to disappear from Muddy Creek around the 1850s. This happened because of changes to their environment made by travelers. Also, new fish like the brook trout were brought in, which competed with them. Another reason might have been too much trapping of beavers. Beavers build dams that create important habitats for fish, so fewer beavers meant less good habitat.
San Juan Cutthroat Trout
A unique group of Colorado River cutthroat trout is called the San Juan cutthroat. They were found in the San Juan River and its smaller streams. Scientists identified them in 2012 by testing old fish samples from 1874. For a while, people thought these fish were gone forever. But in mid-2018, eight isolated groups were found in the San Juan National Forest area.
Soon after they were rediscovered, the San Juan cutthroats faced a new danger: the 416 Fire. This wildfire was getting close to their homes. To save them, 58 San Juan cutthroats were moved from two remote creeks near Durango. They are now being cared for in special fish hatcheries. The goal is to help them have babies and then release them back into the wild.
Protecting the Trout
There are special plans and agreements in place to help protect the Colorado River cutthroat trout. These are called Rangewide Conservation Agreements and Management Strategies.
For example, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is working with other groups. These include the Bureau of Land Management, the Little Snake Conservation District, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Trout Unlimited. They have successfully brought Colorado River cutthroat trout back to the Little Snake River basin. Their efforts include making stream habitats better and removing fish that are not native to the area.
See also
In Spanish: Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus para niños
