Sauger facts for kids
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The sauger (Sander canadensis) is a freshwater fish that looks a lot like its cousin, the walleye. It belongs to a fish family called Percidae. Saugers are known for traveling long distances, more than any other fish in their family in North America.
Saugers have two fins on their back, called dorsal fins. The first one is spiky, and the one behind it is soft. Their other fins are near their chest. Their tail fin is squared off, which is a common trait for fish in the Percidae family. Saugers also have special scales called ctenoid scales, which are found on many advanced fish. Their body shape is streamlined, like a torpedo. This helps them swim fast and easily through strong currents.
You can tell a sauger apart from a walleye in a few ways. Saugers have clear spots on their dorsal fin, but walleyes don't. Saugers also don't have a white patch on their tail fin, which walleyes usually do. Their skin over their gills feels rough, and they often have a brassy or dark color. A typical sauger weighs about 300 to 400 grams.
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Where Saugers Live
Saugers are found in many places. Historically, they lived in the eastern U.S. west of the Appalachian Mountains, and also in central, southern, and western U.S., stretching north into southern Canada. However, their numbers and areas have shrunk over time. This is because their homes have been damaged or broken up.
Saugers move around a lot, so where they are depends on the time of year. They prefer rivers, while walleyes are more often found in lakes and reservoirs. In many areas, saugers and walleyes live in the same places. Sometimes, saugers and walleyes even have babies together! These mixed fish are called saugeyes. They have features from both parents. Saugeyes can be hard to identify, but they usually have the dark spots that saugers do. Saugers are generally smaller than walleyes. They can also handle cloudy water better than walleyes. Saugers need warm water in the summer, between 20-28°C. This need for warmth affects how far north and west they can live.
Sauger Reproduction and Life Cycle
Saugers usually swim upstream to lay their eggs between March and May. The exact timing depends on their location. After laying eggs, they swim back downstream to their usual homes from April to July. Saugers have been known to travel anywhere from 10 to 600 kilometers to reach their spawning spots.
The places where they lay eggs are simpler and less varied than their usual homes. Female saugers like to lay their eggs on rocky bottoms in pools. As females grow longer, they produce more and better quality eggs. However, egg production seems to slow down after they are about 6 years old. Saugers become ready to reproduce when they are between 2 and 5 years old. They are also considered adults when they reach about 250–300 millimeters in length.
After hatching, baby saugers, called larvae, float downstream. They then start to learn how to find food and move around. Young saugers grow up in canals and quiet backwaters until autumn. Then, they swim upstream to their winter homes. Living in canals can be dangerous for young saugers, leading to many deaths.
What Saugers Eat
Saugers eat different kinds of small animals and fish. What they eat depends on the time of year and their size. In spring, medium-sized (300–379 mm) and large (>379 mm) saugers mostly eat Channel catfish and Freshwater drum. Smaller saugers (200–299 mm) have a slightly different diet. They usually eat small creatures that live on the bottom, like mayfly larvae, and also catfish during spring and summer.
Medium and large saugers mainly eat fish from spring to autumn. However, their diet changes in summer. During summer, these larger saugers mostly eat mayfly larvae. In autumn, Freshwater drum and Gizzard shad are the main food for saugers of all sizes. In autumn, fish make up over 99% of a sauger's diet. Saugers also eat shiners in spring and summer, but these are not a major part of their diet. Shiners are not eaten in autumn, probably because they are harder to find then.
Sauger Habitat
Saugers are most often found in large rivers with deep pools. These pools are usually deeper than 0.6 meters. Because they travel a lot, they experience many different types of homes. They prefer natural rivers because these rivers have more deep pools. Their water flow also hasn't been changed by dams or diversions. However, they can still be found in river systems that have dams.
Dams and diversions can harm the saugers' homes and spawning areas. Saugers usually live in areas with cloudy water, gentle slopes, slow currents, and deep water. They tend to choose pools with sand and silt on the bottom. They also like places that offer cover from the river current. They usually avoid fast-moving sections of the river. Saugers are most commonly found in pools that are at least 1.5 meters deep. They can also be in shallower pools, but there will be fewer of them. There is no known difference in habitat choice between male and female saugers. The number of saugers found in an area increases with warmer summer water temperatures, deeper water, and higher alkalinity.
Sauger Conservation
Saugers face several challenges that threaten their populations. These include things that block their travels, loss of their homes, getting trapped in irrigation canals, and too much fishing. Dams and diversion canals stop them from swimming upstream to lay eggs. Changing how rivers flow affects how cloudy the water is, how pools form, and the water temperature. All these things are important for when and how well saugers lay their eggs. Long migrations are a big reason why saugers struggle in rivers with dams or diversions.
Low water levels during dry periods are very harmful to sauger populations. This is because eggs can get stuck and dry out during spawning. It also stops baby saugers from reaching their downstream homes. Many saugers die during spawning because river systems are damaged and broken up. High death rates in autumn are often linked to fishing.
Images for kids
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A sauger fish
- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks [1]
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks [2]
- Lake-Link.com [3]
- Sauger Fishing in the Tennessee Valley [4]
See also
In Spanish: Sander canadensis para niños
