Redtail chub facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Redtail chub |
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The redtail chub (Nocomis effusus) is a type of freshwater fish. It lives in rivers and streams in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky.
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Where Redtail Chubs Live
The redtail chub is found in north central Tennessee and south central Kentucky. You can find them in the central and western parts of the Ohio River basin. This includes the upper Green, upper Barren, Cumberland, Duck, and lower Tennessee rivers.
Building Lake Cumberland likely caused these fish to disappear from that area. This is because redtail chubs need specific places to live. They need flowing water and medium-sized gravel to have their babies.
Redtail chubs have not been found in the same waters as the river chub. This might be due to how they interact with each other. However, redtail chubs prefer smaller streams than river chubs. So, they might not compete directly for the same space.
Scientists think the two species might have lived together in what is now Cumberland Lake. Redtail chubs seem to prefer areas with special gravel habitats.
What Redtail Chubs Eat and Where They Live
Adult redtail chubs mostly eat small water creatures. Their diet includes tiny snails, insects, earthworms, and crustaceans.
A possible predator of the redtail chub is the channel catfish. This fish has been seen eating similar types of fish in other places. The river chub could be a competitor, but they don't seem to share the same living spaces.
Redtail chubs like clear, rocky parts of creeks and small rivers. They also live in clear streams in hilly areas that have mostly gravel on the bottom. The right size of gravel is very important for them.
Like all Nocomis fish, the redtail chub uses its mouth to collect gravel. They use this gravel to build nests for laying eggs. They prefer small to medium-sized streams. These streams usually have a gentle slope and areas with fast-moving water and calm pools. Redtail chubs like cool water streams with a balanced pH level.
Things like how steep a stream is, how cloudy the water is, and pollution from coal mines can limit where they live. Adding gravel to streams has helped bring these fish back to some areas.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Redtail chubs lay their eggs in late spring. They only do this once a year. They become ready to have babies when they are about two years old. At this age, male chubs start to grow much faster and become larger than females.
A female redtail chub can lay between 500 and 1000 eggs at one time. Like all Nocomis fish, redtail chubs build special nests to breed. They pick up small to medium-sized gravel with their mouths. They build a nest that is about 6 inches tall.
The male fish will guard this nest after the eggs and sperm are released. Females often lay eggs in the nests of several different males. The males protect the nest and eggs until they hatch.
Males will defend their nests from other redtail chubs. However, they often share their nests with other fish species. These include Clinostomus funduloides, Notropis rubellus, N. leuciodus, Lythrurus ardens, and some Phoxinus species.
If the right gravel areas are not available, or if they are covered in mud, breeding can be difficult or even stop. The parent fish do not care for the babies after the eggs hatch.
Protecting Redtail Chubs
The redtail chub is not currently listed as an endangered or threatened species by the government. However, its numbers are thought to be going down. This is because people catch these fish to use as bait for fishing. Selling them can be profitable.
Many other fish species rely on redtail chub nests for their own breeding. If the redtail chub population declines, it could also affect these other species.
A fish that is closely related, the hornyhead chub, has been successfully bred in special tanks. This shows that it might be possible to help redtail chubs in a similar way.
See also
In Spanish: Nocomis effusus para niños
