Alabama hog sucker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alabama hog sucker |
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The Alabama hog sucker (Hypentelium etowanum) is a type of fish found in rivers and streams. It belongs to the Catostomidae family, which are often called "suckers" because of their special mouths. This fish lives in the southeastern part of the Southern United States, including most of Alabama and parts of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.
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About the Alabama Hog Sucker
This fish can grow up to about 23 centimeters (9 inches) long. It has dark stripes, called bars, along its back. You might also see light-colored stripes along its sides. Its fins are a bright orange color.
What's in a Name?
The Alabama hog sucker is one of three types of fish in the Hypentelium group. Another fish, the Roanoke hogsucker (Hypentelium roanokense), lives closer to the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists think the Alabama hog sucker is closely related to Hypentelium nigricans. This is because the Tennessee River and Mobile Basin were once connected.
Where It Lives
This fish makes its home in the Chattahoochee River and Mobile Bay river systems. It also lives in smaller creeks nearby. The fish was named after the Etowah River in Georgia, where it was first discovered.
Life and Habits
The Alabama hog sucker prefers to live in clear water. It likes places with rocky or gravelly bottoms, especially in fast-moving parts of creeks and streams called riffles.
What It Eats
This fish is a bottom feeder. It uses its bony head, long snout, and special sucker mouth to search for food. It rummages through rocks and gravel at the bottom of the water. A study of their diet showed that most of their food (over 90%) was Diptera, which are a type of insect. Tiny insect larvae, called Chironomidae larvae, made up most of their meals.
Growing Up and Spawning
Alabama hog suckers can live for more than five years. They become old enough to have babies, or "spawn," when they are about three years old. At this age, they are usually around 11 centimeters (4.3 inches) long. They grow fastest in spring. This is because they eat more to get ready for the spawning season.
When it's time to spawn, they lay their eggs over gravel in pools and riffles. Usually, one female fish will have two male fish on each side of her. After the eggs are released and fertilized, the parents do not take care of them. The eggs hatch into baby fish after about ten days.
Protecting the Species
The Alabama hog sucker is not considered to be in danger. Even though it lives in a specific area, there are many of these fish. Their population is stable, meaning it's not shrinking. There are no big threats to this fish, and it is known as a common species in its home range.
See also
In Spanish: Hypentelium etowanum para niños
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