kids encyclopedia robot

List of freshwater fishes of Maryland facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Maryland is home to many different kinds of freshwater fish! These are fish that live in rivers, lakes, and streams, not in the ocean. This list will introduce you to some of the cool fish you can find swimming wild in Maryland's fresh waters.

Bowfin

The Bowfin is a unique fish, often called a 'living fossil' because it looks a lot like its ancient ancestors!

Catfishes

Catfishes are easy to spot with their long whiskers, called 'barbels,' which help them find food in murky waters. Many of them are popular for fishing!

Eels

The American Eel has a long, snake-like body and can travel long distances between fresh and saltwater during its life.

Gars

Gars are ancient fish with long, narrow bodies and sharp teeth. They are often found near the surface of the water.

Herrings

Herrings are often found in large schools. Many of these fish travel from the ocean into freshwater rivers to lay their eggs.

Killifishes

Killifishes are small, hardy fish that can live in many different types of freshwater habitats.

Lampreys

Lampreys are unique, jawless fish that look a bit like eels. Some live in freshwater their whole lives, while others travel to the ocean.

Lotids

The Burbot is the only freshwater fish in the cod family. It prefers cold waters and is mostly active at night.

Minnows

Minnows are a very large group of small fish. They are important food sources for bigger fish and often live in schools. Some minnows listed here were introduced to Maryland.

Mudminnows

Mudminnows are small, hardy fish that can survive in low-oxygen water by breathing air.

Perches

Perches are a diverse group of fish, including darters, which are small and colorful, and larger fish like the Yellow Perch.

Percopsids

The Trout-perch is a small fish that looks a bit like both a trout and a perch.

Pikes

Pikes are long, slender fish with sharp teeth. They are top predators in their freshwater homes.

Pirate perch

The Pirate Perch is a unique fish that can change its appearance to blend in with its surroundings.

Poeciliids

The Eastern Mosquitofish is a small fish known for eating mosquito larvae, which helps control mosquito populations.

Pupfish

Pupfish are small, hardy fish that can live in very salty or warm waters where other fish cannot survive.

Sculpins

Sculpins are bottom-dwelling fish with large heads and spiny fins. They often hide among rocks.

Silversides

Silversides are small, slender fish with a silvery stripe along their sides. They often swim in schools near the water's surface.

Smelts

Rainbow Smelt are small, silvery fish that are sometimes caught for food. They have a distinct cucumber-like smell.

Snakeheads

The Northern Snakehead is an invasive species that was introduced to Maryland. It can breathe air and survive out of water for short periods.

Sticklebacks

Sticklebacks are small fish known for their sharp spines on their backs. They also build unique nests for their eggs.

Sturgeons

Sturgeons are very large, ancient fish with bony plates on their bodies. They can live for many years and are quite rare.

Suckers

Suckers are bottom-feeding fish with fleshy lips that help them suck up food from the riverbed.

Sunfishes

Sunfishes are a popular group of fish for anglers, including many colorful sunfish species and the well-known bass.

Temperate basses

Temperate basses are strong, fast-swimming fish. The Striped Bass is famous for migrating between fresh and saltwater.

Trout and whitefish

Trout are popular game fish known for living in cold, clear waters. They are often stocked in rivers and streams for fishing.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of freshwater fishes of Maryland Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.