#bowfin

A bowfin. We almost never se these and they're very cool. They're primitive predatory fish

A big old flathead catfish.

Bowfin (Amia calva), family Amiidae, order Amiiformes, Detroit River, MI, USA

This fish was caught as part of a scientific survey, and was released after the photo was taken.

Other names for this species include: mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, grindle, grinnel, swamp trout, and choupique.

This fish is a member of an ancient lineage that dates back to the early Triassic. (This and another species of bowfin are the only 2 members of this group that are still around).

Bowfins are capable of breathing oxygen from the air (with their swim bladder), as well as water (with their gills).

my piece "river relics" is gonna be in an exhibition opening next week and i'm so hyped!!! curated by friends of the mississippi river who does amazing conservation and education work.

You get an Eyespot Bowfin

Today's animal of the day is the Eyespot Bowfin (Amia ocellicauda)!

Photo credit: Below Blue Water Diver

Also known as the emerald bowfin, this species of freshwater fish can be found throughout North America, from Ontario, Canada, all the way down to the Gulf Coast. They prefer to inhabit slow-moving bodies of water with soft substrate, such as sand or mud, and lots of aquatic vegetation. These fish can reach lengths of around 36.5 inches and have long, cylindrical bodies. As their name suggests, they have black and yellow eyespots near the start of their caudal fin. Sometimes females can be born without these spots, though this usually isn't a sure-fire way of differentiating the sexes.

Photo credit: Lindsey Smith

They are nocturnal predators that hide in deeper waters during the day and come out at night to feed. Their sharp teeth and powerful jaws help them to latch onto slippery prey, such as shads, sunfish, crayfish, worms, frogs, bullheads, and many other aquatic animals. Their coloration also helps them sneak up on prey, since their dark olive green top halves help blend in with the lake bottom if you're looking down at them from above, and their cream underbellies blend in with the bright surface if you're looking up at them from below. This is called countershading and is a common camouflaging tactic used by many aquatic and marine predators.

Photo credit: Kristen Osborne

During the spawning season, which takes place from May to June, the fins and bellies of the males will turn a bright green color, and they will build a little nest out of a patch of water plants to attract a mate. If a female decides that she likes a male's nest, she will lay around 64,000 eggs inside of it for him to fertilize and will then swim off to mate with another male. Males will stay behind and guard their eggs until they hatch. Once the fry hatch, they will feed on various types of tiny crustaceans and aquatic insects until they're big enough to go after larger prey. In the wild, males have been documented having an average lifespan of 6 years, while females tend to live between 10 and 12 years. However, some female specimens from Minnesota were recorded living up to 33 years!

Photo credit: Jackson Nesbit

Florida Wildlife; vol. 11, no. 11. April, 1958. Illustration by Wallace Hughes.