Freckled madtom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freckled madtom |
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The freckled madtom (Noturus nocturnus) is a cool type of catfish that lives in freshwater. You can find it in rivers and streams across the eastern United States. This fish loves to hang out on the bottom of clear, fast-moving waters. It especially likes areas with rocky beds, called riffles. The freckled madtom mostly eats small creatures without backbones, like insect larvae.
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Where the Freckled Madtom Lives
The freckled madtom is a freshwater fish found in many parts of the eastern United States. It's quite common in most of these areas. You can spot it in the Mississippi River basin and rivers that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. This includes states like Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
You can also find this fish in the lower Ohio River basin. This covers parts of Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Other states where it lives are Oklahoma, southeastern Iowa, central Kansas, Arkansas, Georgia, and western Tennessee.
How They Live in Their Habitat
Freckled madtoms prefer fast-moving streams that are medium to large in size. These streams usually have rocky bottoms. Sometimes, you might find them near banks that are undercut, close to piles of sticks and roots.
This fish doesn't travel very far, especially over long distances. It can be hard to know exactly where all freckled madtoms live. This is because their populations can be small, and they are sometimes mistaken for other types of catfish.
The freckled madtom is a sensitive species. This means it can disappear from an area if there's a lot of pollution or disturbance. They are special because they are perfectly suited for fast-moving water habitats. Human trash, like old drink cans, can be a problem for them. Young fish and even adult males have been found stuck inside such debris.
What the Freckled Madtom Eats
The freckled madtom mainly eats invertebrates. These are small animals without a backbone. It hunts mostly at night on the bottom of the river. It waits quietly to ambush its prey.
Its favorite foods include the tiny young forms (called larvae) of insects. These can be mayfly larvae, black fly larvae, caddisfly larvae, and midge larvae. Sometimes, it also eats crustaceans, like small shrimp or crayfish.
Even though it mostly eats invertebrates, the freckled madtom has been known to eat other small fish sometimes. For example, in southern Mississippi, they have been seen eating smaller speckled madtoms. To help catch and eat its prey, this catfish has special venom glands. These glands are located along the smooth spines on its pectoral (side) and dorsal fin (back) fins.
Freckled Madtom Life Cycle
The largest freckled madtom ever found was about 15 cm (5.9 in) long. On average, they are usually between 5 and 13.5 cm (2.0 and 5.3 in) long.
These fish can live for about 4 to 4.5 years. Male freckled madtoms are ready to have babies when they are about two years old. Most females are ready by their second summer, or even sooner.
Reproduction and Nests
Female freckled madtoms lay about 100 eggs each summer. Their eggs are ready to be laid from late May to early July. The male fish usually guard the nests by late June. The best water temperature for their nests is around 25 °C (77 °F).
Their nests are often found under flat rocks. These nests are still in the same fast-moving riffle areas where the fish like to live.
Keeping the Freckled Madtom Safe
The freckled madtom is not considered an endangered species by the United States government. It is also not on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's list of endangered species.
However, in the state of Iowa, the freckled madtom has been listed as an endangered species since 1984. This means it needs special protection in Iowa to help its population grow.
See also
In Spanish: Noturus nocturnus para niños
