Rhone streber facts for kids
The Rhone streber (Zingel asper) is a special type of freshwater fish. It's a ray-finned fish, which means it has fins supported by bony rays. This fish lives in rivers and is sadly in danger of disappearing forever. It's only found in certain rivers in France and Switzerland, like the Durance and Beaume rivers.
Quick facts for kids Rhone streber |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Percidae |
| Genus: | Zingel |
| Species: |
Z. asper
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| Binomial name | |
| Zingel asper (Linnaeus, 1758)
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| Synonyms | |
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Contents
What the Rhone Streber Eats
The Rhone streber loves to eat small insects. Its favorite snacks include flies, mayflies, and caddisflies. What it eats can change with the seasons. For example, it mostly eats flies during the winter months.
Where the Rhone Streber Lives
You can find the Zingel asper in rivers like the Durance and Beaume. It likes places similar to where the loach (Cobitis calderoni) and the common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) live. During the day, it hides on the rocky bottoms of fast-flowing rivers. At night, it comes out to hunt for small water creatures.
This fish grows to be about 10 to 20 centimeters long. It becomes a grown-up fish after just one year.
Rhone Streber Life Cycle and Reproduction
Rhone strebers lay their eggs in the deeper parts of river rapids. The eggs are sticky and attach themselves to the gravel at the bottom. After about two weeks, the eggs hatch. The number of eggs a female Rhone streber lays depends on how big she is.
Why the Rhone Streber is Endangered
There are only four main groups, called populations, of the Zingel asper left. The groups in the Durance and Beaume rivers are fairly stable. The Durance has about 200 fish per hectare, and the Beaume has about 80 fish per hectare.
However, the group in the Drôme river is very small. The group in the Doubs river is estimated to have only 80 to 160 fish. Because of these low numbers, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says this fish is "Critically endangered".
The total number of Rhone strebers is going down. This is mainly because their groups are separated from each other. Also, their homes are being changed or destroyed. This happens when dams are built on rivers or when rivers get polluted.
How the Rhone Streber Got Its Name
The Zingel asper was first officially described in 1758 by a scientist named Linnaeus. He first called it Perca asper. He said it was found in the Rhône river.
 | Charles R. Drew |
 | Benjamin Banneker |
 | Jane C. Wright |
 | Roger Arliner Young |
