Oxygaster anomalura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oxygaster anomalura |
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| Oxygaster anomalura from West Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia |
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Oxygaster anomalura is a type of medium-sized freshwater fish. It belongs to the Cyprinidae family, which includes carps and minnows. These fish can grow up to 200 millimeters (about 8 inches) long. They live near the surface of rivers in Southeast Asia. Oxygaster anomalura mostly eats small creatures without backbones, like insects.
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Where Oxygaster anomalura Lives
Oxygaster anomalura fish are found in many rivers across Southeast Asia. One important place is the Batang Kerang floodplain in Sarawak, Malaysia. This area has different kinds of rivers.
Black Water Rivers
Some streams in Batang Kerang are called "black water rivers." They get their dark color from lots of plant material in the water. These streams are often shaded by trees. Their banks can be muddy and steep because water levels change a lot. Black water rivers are usually quite acidic. They have a low amount of dissolved solids. If you hold them up to the light, they look like tea. But if you look at them from above, they appear black.
Brown Water Rivers
Other rivers in Batang Kerang are called "brown water rivers." These rivers often look brown and muddy. This is because they carry a lot of sediment, like dirt and sand. Some parts of these brown rivers have many plants floating on the surface.
Studying Fish in Batang Kerang
Scientists have studied the fish in Batang Kerang to learn about them. They wanted to see what kinds of fish live there. They also wanted to understand what affects where different fish species live.
Researchers looked at the fish in both brown and black water rivers. They studied things like the water's pH (how acidic it is), temperature, and how much oxygen was dissolved in the water.
What Scientists Found
The study found a total of 234 individual fish. These fish belonged to 36 different species and 13 families. The black and brown water habitats had different types of fish living in them.
- In the brown water rivers, scientists caught 152 fish from 32 different species. Most of these fish were from the Cyprinidae family. Oxygaster anomalura was the most common fish found here.
- In the black water rivers, 82 fish were caught from 12 different species. The most common fish found here was Helostoma temminckii.
Only seven species were found in both types of rivers. Oxygaster anomalura was one of these species, showing it can live in both black and brown water.
