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American Gizzard Shad

dorosoma cepedianum

The American Gizzard Shad is a shiny fish that loves to swim in schools. It has a special gizzard that helps it eat tiny plants and animals in the water!

Hábitat: Lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across North America

Aspecto

The American Gizzard Shad has a distinctive deep, silvery body, often with a slightly darker blue-green back. Its most notable feature is a very long, whip-like ray extending from the dorsal fin. They also possess a small head and a blunt snout.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloChordataClaseActinopterygiiOrdenClupeiformesFamiliaClupeidaeGéneroDorosoma

American Gizzard Shad

Categoría

Peces

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Datos interesantes

Their long dorsal fin ray can be longer than their whole head!

They are named for their gizzard-like stomach, just like a chicken!

They play a super important role, turning tiny particles into food for bigger fish!

Thousands of Gizzard Shad often swim together in huge, shimmering schools!

Habilidades especiales

American Gizzard Shad has a muscular gizzard stomach, similar to birds, that helps them grind tough plant material.

American Gizzard Shad can filter-feed using special gill rakers, allowing them to eat microscopic plankton from water.

American Gizzard Shad can survive in murkier, less oxygenated, and even slightly polluted waters that many other fish avoid.

Medidas y detalles

Longitud: 20-40 cm
Peso: 0.2-1 kg
Esperanza de vida: 5-10 años
Velocidad de nado: 20 km/h
Profundidad máxima: 20 m
Tipo de agua: Agua salobre

Dieta y alimentación

They are filter-feeders, scooping up tiny plants and decaying bits from the water.

Diferencias por edad: Younger shad primarily eat zooplankton, while adults shift to consuming more phytoplankton and detritus.

Alimentos principales

phytoplankton
zooplankton
algae
detritus

Método de búsqueda

Filter Feeding

Conexiones ecológicas

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

A primary food source for this popular game fish.

eaten by

Striped Bass

Morone saxatilis

An essential prey item in brackish and freshwater systems.

eaten by

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Often preyed upon by these skilled fish-eating raptors.

Rasgos

Social

Los animales sociales viven en grupos organizados, cooperando para obtener beneficios de supervivencia como la búsqueda de alimento, la defensa y la cría de descendencia.