Kern River rainbow trout facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kern River rainbow trout |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Salmoniformes |
| Family: | Salmonidae |
| Genus: | Oncorhynchus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
O. m. gilberti
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| Trinomial name | |
| Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti (Jordan, 1894)
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| Kern River trout range map | |
The Kern River rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti) is a special type of rainbow trout. It is a fish that belongs to the family called Salmonidae. You can only find this trout in a small part of the Kern River in California. This river is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains.
The Kern River rainbow trout is considered a "Species of Special Concern" in California. This means it needs extra protection. Its numbers have gone down because its home (habitat) has changed. Also, it sometimes mixes with other types of trout.
This trout is one of three special kinds of Oncorhynchus mykiss that live only in the Kern River area. It shares the river's upper parts with the Little Kern golden trout and the golden trout. Some of the places where the Kern River rainbow trout lives are inside the California Golden Trout Wilderness. This is a protected area.
Where the Kern River Rainbow Trout Lives
The Kern River rainbow trout is found only in the Kern River and its smaller streams (tributaries). These are all in Tulare County, California. Its home area is much smaller now than it used to be.
Current and Historic Homes
Today, you can find small groups of these trout in the Kern River above Durrwood Creek. They also live in upper Ninemile, Rattlesnake, and Osa creeks. There might also be some in upper Peppermint Creek.
In the past, they lived in a much larger area of the Kern River. This included parts downstream from where the Isabella Dam is today. They also lived upstream in the South Fork of the Kern River.
New Homes and Challenges
Kern River rainbow trout have been moved to new places. They now live successfully in the Kaweah-Kern River and Chagoopa Creek. However, they have disappeared from parts of the Kern River. This includes the area downstream from the Johnsondale bridge.
Sometimes, these trout mix with other rainbow trout that are not native to the area. This mixing can make it hard to find pure Kern River rainbow trout. But recent studies show that some groups of these special trout still exist without mixing.
