River carpsucker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River carpsucker |
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The river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio) is a freshwater fish that lives in rivers and lakes. You can find it in the United States and northern Mexico. This fish has a slightly curved back and a body that is a bit thick but also flattened on the sides.
Young river carpsuckers have clear fins, but older ones might have dark yellow fins. This fish lives in the Mississippi River basin, from Pennsylvania all the way to Montana. Like other "sucker" fish, the river carpsucker eats from the bottom of the water. It finds its food, like algae, tiny crabs and shrimp, and other small plants and animals, in muddy areas.
River carpsuckers usually live for about two to four years. However, some can live for up to 10 years! They start having babies in late spring. A female fish can lay more than 100,000 eggs. They are ready to reproduce when they are about two or three years old. After the eggs are laid and fertilized, the parents do not take care of them.
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What Does the River Carpsucker Look Like?
The river carpsucker has a unique look. It has a sturdy body with a slightly arched back. The top part of its body, near its dorsal fin, is olive-brown. This color fades to silver on its sides, and its belly is white.
As they get older, their fins can turn a dark yellow. The fish has a lower lip that sticks out a bit, almost like a small bump. Its whole body is covered in large scales. It also has a special number of 18 rays in its tail fin. People sometimes confuse this fish with other types of Asian carp that are not native to these areas.
Where Does the River Carpsucker Live?
Historically, the river carpsucker has lived in the Mississippi River basin, from Pennsylvania to Montana. Today, you can also find it in the Gulf Slope Drainage. This area stretches from the Calcasieu River to the Rio Grande in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.
This fish was also brought to Lake Erie and the lower Maumee River in Ohio. People think it was put there on purpose with other fish to be a sport fish. However, we don't know much about how this affected the environment. Since not many river carpsuckers have been found in the lower Maumee River, it seems they didn't settle there well.
In the spring, when the water gets warmer, these fish swim upstream. After they lay their eggs, they swim back downstream. They can travel as far as 10 kilometers (about 6 miles)!
How Does It Eat and Survive?
The river carpsucker is known as a "suction" or "filter feeder." This means it sucks in water and filters out its food. It mostly eats algae and tiny plants and animals that float in the water. They get their food by filtering mud and dead plant or animal bits from the bottom.
Since it's a bottom-feeder, it doesn't have much competition for food. Its main concern is being eaten by other animals. Young river carpsuckers can be prey for larger fish like northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, and largemouth bass. Humans are their biggest predators. Some large birds, like great blue herons, also eat them.
You can find river carpsuckers in big rivers and reservoirs. They prefer places with sandy or muddy bottoms and slow-moving water. Young fish often live in small streams or smaller rivers that flow into bigger ones. They like areas where the water moves slowly and the temperature is not too hot or too cold.
The River Carpsucker's Life Cycle
Male river carpsuckers are ready to have babies when they are two to three years old. Females are ready a bit later, at three to four years old. During the breeding season, males grow small bumps called "tubercles" on their bodies.
They usually reproduce in late spring, in large groups. A female can lay eggs more than once a year, and she often releases over 100,000 eggs! The eggs are sticky and sink to the bottom. They are about 1.7 to 2.1 millimeters (about 0.07 to 0.08 inches) wide. The eggs usually hatch in eight to 15 days.
For the fish to lay eggs, the water temperature needs to be between 18.3 and 19.1 degrees Celsius (64.9 to 66.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Spawning stops when summer begins and the water gets warmer. The parents do not take care of their eggs. They simply release them onto the sand and then leave.
River carpsuckers typically live for about two to four years. However, some have been known to live for up to ten years. They are schooling fish, which means they often swim together in large groups.
River Carpsuckers and People
There are no special plans to manage the river carpsucker population right now. However, commercial fishermen often catch them for food. They are not officially considered a "game species" for sport fishing.
In some areas, there are many river carpsuckers. For example, they are very common in Elephant Butte Reservoir and Caballo Lake in New Mexico. Humans can also affect these fish. If pollution or toxins get into their habitat, their numbers can drop quickly. The biggest river carpsucker ever caught weighed 13 pounds and 4 ounces. It was caught in Cass County, Nebraska, in 1999.
See also
In Spanish: Carpiodes carpio para niños
