Owens pupfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Owens pupfish |
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The Owens pupfish (Cyprinodon radiosus) is a rare species of fish native to California in the United States.
Description
This pupfish is up to 7 centimetres (2.8 inches) long, the largest males sometimes longer. The male is blue-gray, turning bright blue during spawning. The female is greenish brown with a silvery or whitish belly. The species has been listed as endangered in the United States.
History
The fish was once common in the Owens Valley of California. It could be found in the Owens River and associated sloughs and marshes. At that time the Paiute people scooped them out of the water and dried them for the winter.
After the diversion of water from the Owens River to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, the species lost most of its habitat. By 1942 this pupfish was believed to be extinct. It was rediscovered in 1964, when one population of about 200 individuals was found. When they were transferred to a safer location, the entire global population of this pupfish was contained in two buckets. The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) established six populations in carefully managed refuge using these fish. Five of these populations remain today.
Habitat
The pupfish can live in a wide range of water conditions. Its native habitat includes desert marshes with water temperatures up to 33 °C in the summer and layers of ice during the winter. The water in some areas has four times the salt content of the ocean, as well as low oxygen.
Threats
A major threat to the species is the cattails. The plant clogs the habitat and collects detritus (the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms and fecal material), leaving no space for the pupfish to breed. The CDFG clears out the cattails. Introduced species of aquatic organisms also pose a threat. They include predatory fish such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), as well as crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana).
Taxonomy
Other local Cyprinodon include Death Valley pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus salinus), Shoshone pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone), the extinct Tecopa pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae), Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), and the desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius).
See also
In Spanish: Cyprinodon radiosus para niños
