#amiiformes

Ruddy Bowfins (Amia calva) are stalking, ambush predators known to move into the shallows at night to prey on fish and aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish, mollusks, and aquatic insects. Their undulating dorsal fin propels them silently through the water while stalking their prey. Their attack is straightforward and swift with a movement that lasts approximately 0.075 seconds.

In 1916, a female Ruddy Bowfin lived for twenty months without food. It was the longest period that any vertebrate had been without food, known at the time.

The Eyespot Bowfin (Amia ocellicauda) was only discovered to be a separate species from Amia calva in 2022, after genetic research revealed them to be separate species. Genetics aside, the Eyespot Bowfin has fewer dentary teeth (only 15 compared to the 16 or 17 of A. calva) and its interopercle membrane bone is smaller. It also has a more pronounced eyespot, a longer body, a less red hue, and males have green coloration during the breeding season (leading to their other common name, Emerald Bowfin).

Male bowfins will create a spawning bed in a patch of vegetation, and will wait there to court a female. After mating, the male will guard the nest.

In Louisiana, bowfin are harvested in the wild, and cultured commercially in hatcheries for their meat and roe (eggs). The roe is processed into caviar, and sold as "Cajun caviar", or marketed under the trade name "Choupiquet Royale", as an affordable alternative to the caviar of endangered sturgeons.

In areas with elevated levels of toxins, such as mercury, arsenic, chromium, and copper, bowfin may be dangerous to consume. Concentration of mercury biomagnifies as it passes up the food chain from organisms on lower trophic levels to apex predators. It bioaccumulates in the tissues of larger, long-lived predatory fish. When compared to smaller, short-lived fish, bowfin tend to concentrate mercury at higher levels, making them less safe for human consumption.