Blue chub facts for kids
The blue chub (Gila coerulea) is a type of fish that lives in rivers and lakes. You can find it in the Klamath River and Lost River areas, which are in northern California and southern Oregon.
This fish is quite slender, which means it's thin. It has bigger eyes than most other chubs and a mouth that opens at the very front of its head. Its back is a dull, dusky color, and its sides are silvery. The name "blue chub" comes from the males during breeding season. Their snouts turn a noticeable blue, and they get orange hints on their sides and fins. Blue chubs can grow up to about 41 centimeters (about 16 inches) long.
Contents
What Blue Chubs Eat
Blue chubs have a varied diet, meaning they eat many different things. They munch on both insects that live in the water and those that fall in from land. They also eat small crustaceans, like tiny shrimp, and stringy green algae.
Where Blue Chubs Live
These fish can live in many different places within their home range. They are very common in lakes, but you can also find them in streams and rivers. For example, in Upper Klamath Lake, they usually prefer rocky areas and open water rather than marshy (swampy) shores. Along Boles Creek, they are most common in shallow, weedy reservoirs.
How Blue Chubs Reproduce
Blue chubs lay their eggs from May through August. They usually do this in shallow areas with gravel, less than half a meter deep. When a female lays her eggs, two or more males will be with her. The males get very excited, moving the water around and pushing against the female. She lays her eggs in sticky clumps that attach to rocks near the shore. Sometimes, the males get so excited they push the females partly out of the water!
Protecting Blue Chubs
Even though the blue chub is not officially listed as an endangered species and is common in its native areas, there are some concerns. Their home range is limited to a specific geographic area. Also, their numbers dropped in the 1980s and 1990s. This happened because of a few reasons:
- Drought: Periods of very little rain.
- Pollution: Water getting dirty from things like farm runoff.
- New Fish: Competition from other fish, like the introduced fathead minnows.
These factors make it important to keep an eye on the blue chub population to make sure they stay healthy and abundant.
See also
In Spanish: Gila coerulea para niños
